بررسی اندیشه‌های رواداری هخامنشیان در گفتار محمدرضاشاه پهلوی

One of the most significant aspects of the culture and civilization of the Achaemenid Empire, which was prominently highlighted, promoted, and propagated by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, is the ideas of tolerance or, in contemporary terms, human rights associated with this regime. Therefore, this article aims to address the question of what discourse Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi had regarding the Achaemenid ideas of tolerance through a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of this study indicate that the main objective of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in elevating the Achaemenid ideas of tolerance in both domestic and international forums was to legitimize the Pahlavi regime as the representative and heir of the Iranian monarchy. To achieve this important goal, he undertook actions such as linking himself and his regime to the great monarch Cyrus and the Achaemenids, introducing and recognizing Iranian culture and civilization as the foundational civilization of human rights ideas in the world, presenting a humanitarian interpretation of the Iranian monarchy, and ultimately attributing his actions and programs to the conciliatory thoughts of the Achaemenids. It should be noted that in this context, he aimed to construct and redefine a type of legitimacy based on human rights ideas embedded in the culture and civilization of Iran during the Achaemenid era, while opposing two discourses: Western and Islamic.