Modern%20Iranian%20History

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Modern Iranian History

• Revolutions
• The Hostage Crisis
• The Iran-Contra Scandal
• Axis of Evil?

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Middle East Map
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Irans Geography

• Access to two important waterways The Caspian
  Sea The Persian Gulf
• Mountains The Elburz Zagros
• Population 63 Million

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Reza Shah the Great

• Came to power in 1921
• Promoted Nationalism Modernization
• Changed name from Persia to Iran
• Oil Reserves brought both Soviet British
  interest (Anglo-Iranian Oil Company)
• Built Trans-Iranian RR
• Overthrown by Allies

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Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi

• After overthrow of his father, the new Shah is
  permitted to ascend to the throne by Allies
• All Oil in Iran was foreign owned and Iranians
  began to voice displeasure
• Continued reforms

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Dr. Mohammad Mosaddeq

• Prime Minister Mosaddeq supported Iranians Claim
  of Nationalization of Oil
• Shah fled country after failed removal of
  Mosaddeq
• Got caught in the Cold War labeling, was not
  communist but took their support against West
• CIA backed his overthrow, 1953
• Became icon for anti-imperialism

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The Shah Returns (1953-1979)

• Returned after Mosaddeq was removed
• Instituted 4 years of martial law
• Centralized power and became a dictator event
  though there was a democratic system set

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White Revolution

• Western reforms
• Banished Chadors (Veils)
• Women gained right to vote
• Land Reform
• Workers gained rights

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Dark Side of the Shah

• Crowned himself King of Kings
• Repressed all opposition
• Instituted the SAVAK, Secret Police
• Discontent Grew
• Islamic leaders targeted
• Economic gap between elite and others

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The U.S. Supports the Shah

• The U.S. Iran under the Shah had a great
  relationship
• Iranian Oil was sold to the U.S. Iran bought
  military items from the U.S.
• The Iranian public received next to nothing from
  the wealth flowing into Iran

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The public makes its feelings known

• A common sight during the revolution was images
  of the Shah burned by protestors
• This discontent continued to grow with repressive
  responses by the military

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Black Friday

• The military shoots its own citizens in what
  became known as Black Friday and doomed the Shah
• Hundreds are killed on this day as a turning
  point in the revolution

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Multiple Protests Occur
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Statues of the Shah are taken down

• Reminiscent of other dictatorial statues which
  have come down, all types of public depictions of
  the Shah were removed

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The Coverage of the Events

• In the Iranian News their was a celebratory tone
• In the U.S. media there was uncertainty over the
  direction of the revolution

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Former Oppressors are Targeted

• SAVAK Members are arrested
• Former Generals under the Shah face charges and
  are executed
• Radical Stage of Revolution

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Ayatollah Khomeini leads the Islamic Revolution
(1979)

• An Islamic Cleric who had been banished by the
  Shah years earlier returns to lead Iran
• Viewed as Supreme Leader above the secular
  government
• Establishes a theocracy (religious government)

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Iranians demand return of the Shah

• Shah goes into exile in January 1979 spending
  time in NY and in Egypt
• Iranians demand that he be returned to face
  charges for his years of autocratic rule

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Iranian Students Storm the U.S. Embassy

• The U.S. Embassy in Tehran was taken with the
  approval of Ayatollah Khomeini in November 1979
• The students demanded that the Shah return
• The 52 hostages were held for 444 days
• This crisis led to late night news with the
  creation of Nightline with Ted Koppel

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The Crisis affects the 1980 Election

• The Nation was severely affected by the hostage
  crisis.
• Carter was defeated in 1980 by Ronald Reagan, who
  truly began the current Conservative movement in
  the government.
• The hostages were released on the day Reagan was
  inaugurated.

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The Iran-Iraq War

• Iraq invades Iran in September of 1980
• The U.S. sells arms to both sides during this
  bloody conflict.
• Iran has three times Iraqs population.
• It is estimated that 400,000-700,000 were killed.
  An estimated 800 billion was the eco. cost.

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Iraq uses Chemical Warfare

• Used Mustard Gas and Tabun against Irans human
  waves in 1985
• Saddam Hussein ordered chemical attacks against
  Kurds within Iraq in the village of Halabja in
  1988

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The U.S supports Iraq in the War

• In December of 1983 presidential envoy Donald
  Rumsfeld, visited Iraq.
• The U.S. supported Iraq as it feared an Iranian
  victory in the region.

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Iran-Contra Affair

• In 1985 a secret arms deal between the U.S. and
  Iran took place through Israel.
• Monies from the arms sales was then used to
  support a counter-revolutionary group in
  Nicaragua
• Oliver North an NSC official is at the core of
  the scandal
• Congress investigates looking to find out how
  high the scandal reaches.

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Iran Today

• Cleric Mohammad Khatami is currently the 5th
  President of Iran, elected in 1997 with 70.
• Has great support from the youth of Iran,
  re-elected in 2001 with 78.
• Is considered more moderate than previous
  leadership.

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State of the Union Speech 2002

• Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and
  exports terror, while an unelected few repress
  the Iranian people's hope for freedom.
• States like these, and their terrorist allies,
  constitute an axis of evil

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Nuclear Threat?

• This is a nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran.
• Is Iran looking to build a nuclear weapon or is
  it trying to harness nuclear power?
• Will there be an escalation in the conflict?