The Shah of Iran= Muhammad Reza Shah

After WWII, U.S. took over as the leader in Iranian politics

why??? U.S. supported The Shah of Iran or

The Shah 1952=Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadeq tried to nationalize the oil industry and dethrone The Shah

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi26 September 1941 – 11 February 1979

Mohammad Mosaddeq 28 April 1951 – 19 August 1953

U.S. reaction

CIA mobilized the best street thugs, booted Mossadeq, and restored the throne to The Shah (6 days later)

Grateful Shah opened up the oil valves to the West

The White Revolution

1963= The Shah attempted Demo./social reforms— meant to modernize the country (promotion of literacy)

Many of the reforms undermined the power of the mullahs (religious leaders)

The Shahs wanted to weaken the mullah—the clerics had contempt for him

Reforms

Women’s rights – liberation/vote/divorce/attire (Western/veil) Education- Secular/modern—lessened clergy’s influence Food-beef kabob (official national food)- McMama Land Reform-Snatched some of clergy’s land holdings

Mullahs criticized The Shah’s relationship with the U.S.

U.S./Israel helped The Shah est. the feared SAVAK1. most brutual secret security force 2. employed torture and murder as deterrents against the opposition

Wave of Anti-Americans swept over Iran Clerics exploited the situation

1. poor on religious grounds2. wealthy landowners/merchants on finiancial

grounds

The Shah’s Reaction

The Shah had many clerics arrested in Qom (spiritual center)

Riots erupted / mullahs fled the country- including

Ayatollah Khomeini-went into exile in neighboring Iraq 1964

Ayatollah Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini

3 December, 1979 – 3 June, 1989

The Shah’s days are numbered

Reform helped middle class but not the poor

Late 1970s the King became extremely unpopular

Sept. 1978 The Shah instituted martial law

Factors of unrest in Iran

recession/inflation plagued the country SAVAK cont. to repress dissidents The Shah had lymphatic cancer (weak) a wave of anti-American sentiment Shiite exile Ayatollah Khomeini seized the opportunity to convince the Iranian dissidents that all of the nation’s ills

Two sources of anti-Islamic contention:1. The Shah’s secular policies2. Influence of the “Great Satan” (U.S.)

Transfer of Power

Khomeini solution: Get rid of The Shah and give me the power!

Jan 1979-The Shah & Queen boarded a Boeing 707 “for vacation” and never returned

Khomeini flew from Paris into Tehran—welcomed by adoring fans

Khomeini est. the first modern Islamic State

He set up a theocracy

Purification of Iran came through the rigid enforcement of Iran’s Shiite version of Sharia (Islamic Law)

The Shah’s SAVAK was now at the Khomeini’s disposal

Implementing the following measures

Purging Iran of all un-Islamic & Western influences Enforcing the revolution’s new Islamic regulations Persecuting all non-Muslims, secular nationalists, and leftists Imposing strict regulations on women Taking adv. of the ensuing chaos to settle old scores in the name of the revolution

Iran- American Hostage Situation

1979 Nov.-U.S. Pres. Carter invited The Shah to N.Y. for medical attention Retaliation= approx. 500 students demonstrating outside of U.S. Embassy in Tehran demanded The Shah be extradited Carter refused=students stormed the compound & seized 67 Am. Hostages(15 were released/52 hostages in captivity 444 days)

President Jimmy Carter(39th President)

January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981

Iranian militants escort a blindfolded U.S. hostage to the media

Carter’s response/rescue

Didn’t work=breaking diplomatic ties & economic boycott Resort to military force=

1. 8 helicopters off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf

2. Rendezvous spot called Desert One3. Collision4. Killed 8 Americans/ mission aborted

In defiance—Khomeini released 52 hostages to Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan 40th President

January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989

Iran-Iraq War

Saddam Hussein launched an air assault with on Sept 22nd 1980 Hussein hoped to regain the territory of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway that Hussein had conceded to Iran 5 years earlier in the Algiers Accord 1. capture the oil fields of Khuzestan 2. stem the growing Shiite extremist 3. incite a revolt against Khomeini

Saddam Hussein 5th President of Iraq

16 July 1979 – 9 April 2003

Shatt-al-Arab

Iran-Iraq War

First 2 years-Hussein did well Iranian military rebounded & retook US support toward Hussein July 1987 Kuwaiti (US GB Fr) US Americans attacked US shot down Iran Air passenger Hussein thought war a few days lasted 8 years= $100 b Lives lost=500,000

Iran-Contra Affair

1,000 Pasadaran- SE Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley

Pasadaran-military training/religious instruct.

Hezbollah vowed to est. an Islamic state

Hezbollah turned to suicide bombing

most effective weapon was kidnappingEX-US Embassy in Beirut

Pasadaran (Iranian Revolutionary Guards)

Beirut, Lebanon

Reign of Power

Khomeini died in 1989

Ali Akbar Rafsanjani President in 1989

1997 Muhammad Khatami

***Couldn’t carry out reform***

Ali Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniPresident of Iran

1989 to 1997

Mohammad Khatami 2 August 1997 – 3 August 2005

Mahmoud AhmadinejadPresident of Iran

August 2005