A renowned expert looks at the painful birth of modern Iran, the political awakening of Iranian people and Iran's current position in the global arena. A comprehensive history of Iran from 1921 to the completion of the Khatami Presidency in 2005 Puts recent developments in historical context Shows how Iran's modern history has been shaped by its relations with the great powers Places the Khatami Reform movement in the context of broader historical trends Shows how the Reform Movement was the latest in a wave of democratic surges that opened initially with the Constitutional Movement in 1906.