Imagine putting your life on the line for a cause greater than yourself, and actually succeeding in your goal. However, in a turn of events, all you worked for is in danger of being reversed, and if that reversal takes effect, severe consequences await. To what extents would you go to to protect what you had done? This is the exact scenario that played out in Iran throughout the 70s. Protesters put their lives and everything they had on the line in an attempt to abolish the oppressive dictatorship the Shah had established. Eventually, they succeeded and drove the Shah into exile. Yet, the Shah retained support from the world superpower, United States. President Carter showed his support by allowing the Shah into the United States for cancer
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The beginning of the story started in the 1920s, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, assumed the position of the Shah, or King of Iran. From the early 1920s until the late 1970s, when he was overthrown, Shah Pahlavi, pushed for the westernization of Iran. Under his ruling, he instilled an anti-communist, and pro western nation, that made significant advancements in industrial expansion (“Iran Hostage Crisis”). This marked the beginning of the White Revolution; a time of modernization for Iran. In addition to industrial development, women also acquired new rights, including the right to vote (“The White Revolution”). Because of this, Iran gained the support of western nations, such as the United States. In modern times, these advancements seem like a positive, and uplifting time for the citizens of Iran. However, public opinion among the citizens differed greatly, stating that it was against Islamic faith. Adding fuel to the fire, the Shah passed an act that “redistributed agricultural land from large feudal landowners to sharecropping farmers and nationalized forests and pastures,” according to the Britannica Encyclopedia, called the Land Reform Act. The Land Reform Act redistributed land to roughly 2.5 million families, but at the same time stripped many families of their land. This outraged the citizens of Iran, and drove them to protest the Shah, and …show more content…
President Jimmy Carter broadcasted the support of the Shah by allowing him into the United States for treatment of his cancer. (“Iran Hostage Crisis”). The Shah retaining support from a world superpower, struck the Iranians with an abundant amount of fear that he would be reinserted into power. They wanted to avoid his reinsertion so desperately, on November 4, 1979, a group of students in Iran went to the U.S. embassy, and took 66 Americans hostage. Americans were outraged, and it marked the beginning of mistrust in the Islamic faith (Kinzer). This lack of trust in the middle east, is very similar to the identical fear so prominent now. However, Americans in the 70s reacted differently. They were unified, and patriotism flourished throughout the states. Today, Americans fear for their lives will be taken in the name of terrorism greatly, and we are scared. Now, we are accustomed, and almost desensitized to the horrific events occurring so frequently, such as the attacks in Paris, or San
The beginning of the story started in the 1920s, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, assumed the position of the Shah, or King of Iran. From the early 1920s until the late 1970s, when he was overthrown, Shah Pahlavi, pushed for the westernization of Iran. Under his ruling, he instilled an anti-communist, and pro western nation, that made significant advancements in industrial expansion (“Iran Hostage Crisis”). This marked the beginning of the White Revolution; a time of modernization for Iran. In addition to industrial development, women also acquired new rights, including the right to vote (“The White Revolution”). Because of this, Iran gained the support of western nations, such as the United States. In modern times, these advancements seem like a positive, and uplifting time for the citizens of Iran. However, public opinion among the citizens differed greatly, stating that it was against Islamic faith. Adding fuel to the fire, the Shah passed an act that “redistributed agricultural land from large feudal landowners to sharecropping farmers and nationalized forests and pastures,” according to the Britannica Encyclopedia, called the Land Reform Act. The Land Reform Act redistributed land to roughly 2.5 million families, but at the same time stripped many families of their land. This outraged the citizens of Iran, and drove them to protest the Shah, and …show more content…
President Jimmy Carter broadcasted the support of the Shah by allowing him into the United States for treatment of his cancer. (“Iran Hostage Crisis”). The Shah retaining support from a world superpower, struck the Iranians with an abundant amount of fear that he would be reinserted into power. They wanted to avoid his reinsertion so desperately, on November 4, 1979, a group of students in Iran went to the U.S. embassy, and took 66 Americans hostage. Americans were outraged, and it marked the beginning of mistrust in the Islamic faith (Kinzer). This lack of trust in the middle east, is very similar to the identical fear so prominent now. However, Americans in the 70s reacted differently. They were unified, and patriotism flourished throughout the states. Today, Americans fear for their lives will be taken in the name of terrorism greatly, and we are scared. Now, we are accustomed, and almost desensitized to the horrific events occurring so frequently, such as the attacks in Paris, or San