Quotes from book
Shah of Shahs

Ryszard KapuścińskiOriginal title Szachinszach (Polish, 1982)

Shah of Shahs is a 1982 non-fiction book by Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński. It is his analysis of the decline and fall of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.

Ryszard Kapuściński photo

“It is authority that provokes revolution…. This occurs when a feeling of impunity takes root among the elite: We are allowed anything, we can do anything. This is a delusion, but it rests on a certain rational foundation. For a while it does indeed look as if they can do whatever they want. Scandal after scandal and illegality after illegality go unpunished. The people remain silent…They are afraid and do not yet feel their own strength. At the same time, they keep a detailed account of the wrongs, which at one particular moment are to be added up. The choice of that moment is the greatest riddle of history.”

Ryszard Kapuściński book Shah of Shahs

Shah of Shahs, Vintage International edition, p. 106

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