He was 1873 visit to the World’s Fair in Vienna was devised by his advisors to encourage the Shah to adopt European-inspired policies for modernisation, and to put Persia on the map. The latter priority entailed several related goals: first, to pursue diplomacy with Persia’s main adversaries in order to balance their influence; second, to forge alliances with other European nations; and third, to communicate Persian sovereignty in order to deter aggression.
