Abstract The paper discusses how Ayatollah Khomeini and his followers considered the Iranian Revolution a triumph because they succeeded in overthrowing the brutal government of the Shah and establishing an Islamic Republic. The paper explains, however, that the revolution has been a tragedy for the Iranian people because fundamentalist Islamic rule has been just as repressive and brutal. The paper asserts that the revolution's only accomplishment was to replace one regime of tyranny with a different, just as brutal, regime.
From the Paper "Khomeini and the ayatollahs intended from the very beginning of the revolution to establish a repressive Islamic government, but concealed this agenda in order to build widespread public support in Iran and minimize the risk that the United States would intervene in the revolution. Khomeini's duplicity at this time was crucial, for if the United States or moderate Arab states in the Middle East had known that Khomeini intended all along to establish a radical Islamic theocracy, it is highly likely that they would have considered it necessary to intervene militarily. (Viorst)"
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that the 'Iran hostage crisis' refers to the events following the seizure of the American embassy in Iran on November 1979 by militant students during which 52 U.S. diplomats were held hostage with the Iranian regime's consent for 444 days in contravention of all diplomatic norms. The writer notes that the crisis had a profound effect on US-Iran relations reverberations of which can still be felt today in a highly strained relationship. The writer discusses that it also influenced the domestic politics of both countries in no uncertain terms: helping the radical Iranian clergy led by Ayatollah Khomeini to consolidate its power in the early days of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, and contributing to a large extent in the decisive defeat of President Jimmy Carter in the November 1980 US Presidential elections. This paper gives the background and a brief overview of the crisis, analyzes its causes and explains the effect it had on the Carter Presidency.
Outline:
Background
The Embassy Take-over
Surprise for the Americans
Options for the Carter Administration
The Effect on Carter's Popularity
The Disastrous Rescue Attempt
The October Surprise
From the Paper " The actual seizure of the American Embassy took place on the morning of November 4, 1979 that had been proclaimed as the National Students Day to honor the students who had been gunned down by the Shah's police the previous year. Thousands of students gathered outside the embassy shouting the customary anti-Shah and anti-US slogans and at first, it seemed to be a customary demonstration which had become a routine since the Iranian Revolution until a large group of students poured through the main gate of the compound and started to scale the embassy walls. Despite the best efforts of the embassy staff to prevent the takeover, the students soon overwhelmed the sixty-five Americans inside the embassy and took them hostage. Even though both the captors and the hostages had expected the seizure to be a short-term affair, the crisis proved to be a long-drawn out affair that lasted for more than a year and was mainly responsible for reducing the Carter presidency to a single term."
This paper discusses Ayatollah Khomeini's overthrow of the Shah in the Iranian revolution of 1979: Background, political and religious forces, strategies, socioeconomics and the role of the bazaar.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 6 sources, 1995, $ 55.95
From the Paper "At the beginning of 1978, the Iranian government of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi appeared to almost all observers, inside and outside Iran, to be firmly in power, and likely to remain so for the indefinite future. That there was fairly widespread disaffection from the regime was evident, but the Shah had survived such disaffection before, and there was little reason to suppose that he would would not survive it again. He had extensive military and internal-security forces at his command, while his potential opposition was divided among groups with widely varying agendas and bases of support, ranging from the Tudeh (Communist) Party to militant Islamic groups. Between the ruthlessness of SAVAK, the Shah's internal-security organ, on the one hand, and the internal divisions of the opposition on the other, it seemed likely that the Shah would continue to suppress ... "
Abstract This paper elaborates on Islam and its religious politcal history for the past 100 years, including the later part of this century. It offers some insights into what may have given rise to what is now known today as Islamic fundamentalism.
From the Paper "While the roots of political Islam can be traced back to the time of Mohammed, the real impact of Islam as a political ideal came about with the Iranian revolution and the Ayatollah Khomeini. The new brand of political Islam that Khomeini brought to Iran was a new, more militant Islam than the world had previously been exposed to. During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Islam was spread as the ideal religion, however, there was room for both branches of Islam, Sunni and Shiite, to practice. There was also a place for Christians and Jews, although it was on the second class level. However, Khomeini's brand of religious zealotry was harsh and dictatorially strict."
Tags:Ayatollah, east, fanaticism, Islam, Muslim, politics, religious
Abstract This paper examines how Iran has, for a long time, been a traditionally conservative nation based on the teachings of Islam. For a brief period, though, there was a prospect of change and liberalization under the visionary rule of the last Shah. With the ruthless onslaught of the Islamic revolution in the year 1979, hardcore fundamentalists seized power and changed the fate of the nation, diminishing all forms of development in all spheres. It looks at how women have long been the subject of oppression and subjugation in the Islamic republic and how, for their part, women have battled the injustice meted out against them. Women's rights activism in Iran dates back to the 1850s, which saw women reformers campaign for changes and social standing.
Outline
Introduction
Women's Movements in Iran ? A Brief History
The Role of Women During the Pahlavi Reign
The Islamic Revolution and the Role of Women Since
The Problem of Sex Slavery in Iran
The Women's Movement and Shirin Ebadi
Conclusion
From the Paper "The popular revolution was initiated against the secular government of the Shah in the year 1978. Leading the revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini pledged to restore "Islamic law" in the country which according to him had veered off the teachings of Prophet and Islam. During the reign of Shah Reza Palhavi, women had a more democratic and free role which soon disappeared after the revolution and making of the Islamic republic. They enjoyed equal rights and status. This was however short lived and stood to change after the revolution which brought with it stringent measures and means that were soon to become an integral part of the Iranian social structure. Until the revolution, women were given the right to vote and contest for any public office."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution with the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution. It provides a detailed analysis of the background history and politics of each revolution, the main people involved and the final results of two of the most significant revolutions of the 20th century.
From the Paper "The 20th century was one of worldwide revolution. Every continent experienced at least one revolution during this time, and these greatly affected the world as we know it today. Two revolutions - the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949 and the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979 - were particularly important. Both of these revolutions introduced new elements of change to nations dominated at the time by pro-Western influences. Mao empowered the rural peasantry in China to rise up against the Kuomintang elite and to seek a utopian and egalitarian Socialist society."
Abstract This paper first describes the recent history of relations between the United States and Iraq and Iraqi relations with its neighboring countries. The paper then explains the foundation for the original U.S. intervention in Iraq and points out that the motivation for involvement was not so much to fight terrorism as it was to safeguard the vast oil reserves there.
From the Paper "America has positioned itself as the Policeman of the World. We have made it our political, if not exactly our moral "obligation" to make every possible attempt to avert war, bloodshed, and the dangers of an outbreak for ethnic or other reasons that would put into imbalance the current line-up of nations. While we intruded in Somalia and Ethiopia, in Grenada and Panama and, to some extent, in Haiti, it is in Iraq that American politicians seem to see the greatest danger."
Abstract An international relations essay on Iranian foreign policy since the 1979 revolution. The paper argues that foreign policy became incoherent after Khomeini's death in 1989 but notes that Ahmadinejad's leadership has been leading the Islamic Republic back toward its revolutionary roots.
From the Paper "In February 1979, a two-day uprising led to the collapse of the Pahlevi monarchy in Iran. The state became the Islamic Republic of Iran, with Ruhollah Khomeini as the Supreme Leader until his death in 1989. After the revolution, the state was "defiant, fiercely independent, proactively religious, and nonaligned." This new stance was reflected in the state's foreign policy, which was, overall, coherent until 1988-9. The end of the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq ceasefire, and the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini led to reorientations of policy. In the late eighties and after, under the presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami Iranian foreign policy became more self-contradictory. It unsuccessfully combined pragmatic diplomacy with revolutionary behaviour-seeking ties, for example, with states whose leadership it was trying to undermine. The result is that since 1989, the Islamic Republic of Iran has had an incoherent foreign policy, but the current president has been leading it back toward revolutionary behaviour and increased coherence."
Abstract This paper examines long- and short-term causes of the Iranian revolution, with emphasis on why Shia Islam became the vehicle for revolutionary aspirations. The paper presents the Iranian background and the growth of Western influence. It examines the rise of Islamic fundamentalism., the Shah of Iran and the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Abstract This paper compares the impact of leadership on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It is evident that the leadership exhibited by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in Russia and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran were decisively important. The paper shows that without Lenin, it is unlikely that the Bolsheviks could have overcome the challenges facing them in 1917, and without Khomeini, it is unlikely that the Iranian mullahs could have overcome the challenges facing them in 1979.
Abstract This paper examines U.S.-Iraq relations since the fall of the Shah . The paper explains that relations between the two countries since the Islamic revolution in Iran have been influenced by realpolitik, especially in terms of American foreign policy decisions since 1979. When the friendly government of the Shah of Iran was overthrown and Ayatollah Khomeini established a fundamentalist Islamic republic, the Reagan Administration felt compelled to prevent the spread of radical Islam throughout the Middle East by any means available, and consequently considered it necessary to provide covert military assistance to Saddam Hussein.
Abstract The paper explores the beginnings of the conflict between the Sunni and Shiite factions of Islam and explains their ideological differences. The paper focuses on the twentieth century and why the Islamic conflict continues. The paper discusses how concessions to the Islamists will not work because wiping out the West is part of their agenda. The paper points out, however, that a better understanding of this conflict among Westerners can only yield positive results by clarifying how our interests lay with the Muslims who do not answer the Islamist call to battle.
Table of Contents:
Outline
Beginnings
The Schism
The Contemporary Sunni-Shiite Divide
Conclusion
From the Paper "This essay will examine the ongoing conflict between the two principle branches of Islam: Sunni and Shiite. This is a relevant, even critical topic for anyone interested in today's world events. The current War on Terror and the struggles between Palestinians and the Israelis make understanding the acrimony between Sunni and Shiite Muslims necessary. The secular, Christian West remained generally ignorant of Islam until September 11, 2001, when members of Islam's radical fringe besmirched their faith in the eyes of the world through an amazing act of terrorism."
Abstract This paper is a biographical overview of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It begins with his birth, family and upbringing as a sheepherder. It covers his calling as a spiritual leader, his struggle against the dominant society, and the roots of the religion he founded. Finally, the paper criticizes some of the recent reinterpretations of Muhammad's teachings used to justify militant political motivations, such as in the case of Ayatollah Khomeini and Osama bin Laden.
From the Paper "In time, Muhammad had developed a reputation for "honesty and trustworthiness" (Emerick 186) and moreover, he never developed a taste for "idol worship," which many during that time believed in. On pages 270-271, Emerick takes readers through Muhammad's early life, pointing out that his grandfather died a couple years after Muhammad's mother had died, and at that point he was given over to his grandfather's son Abu Talib. The young Muhammad thus had been orphaned three times by the time he was 10 years old (Emerick 271). And as was noted, Muhammad was raised a sheepherder; other boys his age grew up drinking, fighting, and paying visits to prostitutes."
