World Spring 18.5

Iran and the Iranian Revolution

In 1979, the country of Iran went from one of the United States' staunchest allies to one of its most determined opponents. In this assignment you will learn how events in the early part of the Cold War assisted in creating this now-enduring tension. Then you will do independent research to learn about some of the tensions between the United States and other Western nations and the current Iranian regime. How do these current tensions reflect long-standing grievances? How are they the product of more recent actions by both the US and Iran? Finally, we must attempt to look beyond US-Iranian tensions to the ways in which Iran is also in conflict with its regional neighbors.

Key Ideas:

Why did the United States support a coup in 1953 in Iran to overthrow a democratically elected leader?

What led to the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis in 1979?

How and why does Iran remain a source of tension in the Middle East?

Homework:

Homework GoogleDoc

Part I: Read the background section at this web site on the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As you read, think about the question in the Assignment box at the top. Write answers to the following questions in the Google Doc:

• 1. What role did WWII play in the change of leadership in Iran?

  2. What was the result of the conflict between prime minister Mossadegh and the shah of Iran in the 1950s?

  3. What role did Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini play in Iran in the 1960’s?

  4. Note that the Shah’s regime became increasingly repressive in the 1970s. What happened after the Shah was forced to leave in 1979?

  5. Why do you think Americans were taken hostage in 1979? What ultimately happened to them in 1981?

  6. What event dominated the 1980s in Iran?

Part II: Read this article about the CIA’s acknowledgment (very recently!) that it was behind the 1953 coup to overthrow Mossadegh.

-Why did the CIA wait so long to acknowledge involvement?

-Why was the CIA involved in the first place?

Part III: Fill out the tables on the Googledoc that ask you to find articles about Iran today. Come prepared to share your findings with the class.