Thursday, April 2, 2009

Monday's NOTES

Sorry this is a couple days late
  • 1941, British and USSR invade Iran
  • 22 year old Shah takes control of Armed Forces
  • finds out he must live with free press, competitive elections, etc.
  • He had to combat 2 political movements
  • Tudeh movement= communists
  • National Front, led by Muhamed Mosadeq
  • Tudeh gets support from working class trade unions
  • Nation Front gets support from middle class
  • They called for Nationalizatn of British oil company
  • Mosadeq wants to sever Shah's ties with armed forces
  • Mosadeq said that the Shah should not be day to day ruler
  • 1951, Mosadeq becomes Prime Minister
  • immediately he nationalizes oil industry
  • 1953, Mosadeq overthrown in a coup backed by the CIA
  • With Mosadeq gone, the Shah builds off of three "pillars"
  • 1. Support from armed forces
  • 2. bureacracy
  • 3. royal patronage system
  • the bureaucracy developed immensely under the Shah
  • the interior ministry had the power to appoint most local officials
  • also appointed electoral supervisors
  • this put them in a posotion to rig elections
  • creates rubber stamp legislature
  • thing shah does:
  • education ministry grows x20
  • Justice ministry replaces sharia with british style courts
  • justic system is further secularized when Shah decreed a controversial family protection law. It raised marriage age to 20 for men and 18 for women. Also, allowed women to work outside home. Furthermore, restricted polygamy to an extent.
  • State controls many insitutions like major banks, radio and tv networks, and national Iranian oil company.
  • Muhammed Rheza Shah establishes Palavi foundation, which controlled 207 large companies. These companies are tax exempt
  • 1975, Shah announces Resurgance Political Party
  • declares Iran a one party state and those in opposition are jailed
  • Resurgance party establishes Bazarre gujilds which it expects merchants to join.
  • Widespread resentment towards Shah is prevalent in Iran during this time
  • 1979, Cultural Revolution overthrows Shah
  • Before 1979, Newspaper outside iran publishes article written by previously exiled Iranians
  • Article basically points out all of Shahs bad policies and thing he did while in office
  • Basically said he was CIA's puppet, increased military excesively, trampled on consitituion, and used government money for his own use.
  • This stirred up already bad feelings towards Shah
  • Ayatolah Khomeimi=exiled Iranian who denounces palavis
  • Khomeini said the Iranian masses were being opressed
  • He invented a new form of Shi'ism
  • changes the Jruists' Guardianship and gave the SEnior Clergy the power
  • By 1977, a few sparks set off Revolution
  • economic difficulties
  • insults against Shah's control of the poeple
  • The Carter administration criticised The Shah's violation of human rights
  • labor unions, trade association, and bazar guilds all rise up when Shah loosens reigns
  • bloody Friday=troops fire into a crowd of protestors, killing hundreds
  • the whole country goes on strike and economy goes down
  • oil workers said they would not export oil until the Shah was exported
  • January 1979, Shah leaves power
  • February 1979, Khomeini returns and announces Islamic Revolution
  • referendum replaces monarchy with Islamic Republic
  • Assembly of Religious Experts (elected body) writes a new constitution
  • This constitution was highly theocratic and put power in the hands of the clergy
  • 1979, referendum about constitution
  • 99% of people voted yes
  • only 75% voter participation though :/

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