Schafer,+Zachary

Notes on HI:

 Section A: **For what reasons did Iranians take American Hostages in the Tehran Embassy in 1979?** The purpose of this investigation will be to use the information found to asses the reasons why the Iranians took American Hostages in the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis. The body of this investigation will use multiple secondary sources to assess the reasons why there was distaste among the Iranians and what led to the invasion of the American Embassy. The body of this investigation will also juxtapose between the short and long term causes that led to the hostage crisis. Two of the sources being used in the investigation, //The Iranian Revolution//  and //America Held Hostage,//  will be evaluated according to their origins, purposes, value, and limitations. A conclusion will then be drawn up stating how the events prior to 1979 led to the takeover of the American Embassy by Iranians.

**Section B** : Unlike many other embassies in Tehran, Iran the American embassy was modest; several plain buildings and a low iron wall separating the embassy from the rest of Iran. "In the beginning the Iranian people highly approved of the message that the United States seemed to be sending... America wanted to be divorced from the other world powers that had kept Iran under their thumbs for more than a century" (Lawson 16) [a]. However when autumn 1979 rolled in, the friendly environment between the two countries would be shattered. Before the Hostage Crisis occurred, Anti-Americanism was about to boil over in Iran. America's support of former Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi made many Iranians upset due to his oppressive and dictatorial rule. To understand why the take-over happened the short term and long term causes must be assessed.

The long term causes of the Hostage crisis can be traced back to 1953 when Mohammad Mosadeq was removed from power in Iran after wanting to nationalize Iranian oil companies. This democratically elected prime minister was only in office for about a year until a coup replaced him. Lead by United States C.I.A agents “Roosevelt was ultimately able to remove Mosaddeq from office in 1953. He had Fazlollah Zahedi a pro-British, pro-U.S. general, installed as Iran’s new Prime Minister” (January 210 [b]. With Mossadeq out of the way Britain could gain more money in the oil business (Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) but so could the Shah. As the Shahs wealth grew so did his corruption. America’s involvement in the Mossadeq coup would lay the foundation to anti-west movements within Iran. Another long term cause of the Embassy takeover is a policy put in place by the Shah known as the White Revolution. After Mossadeq is ousted from office “The Shah became a loyal U.S. ally. In exchange for his loyalty, the United States supported the shah’s government with money and weapons”(January 23) [c]. Reza Shah made it known to his people that Iran was going to be moving forward, and trying to catch up with the rest of the world. The White Revolution granted women’s suffrage and give land back to poor peasants who farmed on it, while still leaving most of his power in tact. "In general, the Iranian people were still denied the basic political freedoms and civil liberties necessary to fulfill the Shah's promise to democratize and decentralize the Iranian system" (Sakail 90) [d]. The United States support of such a dictator not only looked hypocritical to other nations, but many people within Iran resented America because of it.

Not only were there long term causes to the Hostage Crisis, but the short term causes also played a major role into the downfall of the Shah, and the Hostage Crisis itself. The Shah’s westernization of Iran upset many religious leaders, and his Secularizing of Iran pulled the country away from its Islamic religion. His affiliation with western powers and his sometime dictatorial rule was the focal point of hatred towards him. "A monarchy is the only possible mean to govern Iran...To get things done, one needs power, and to hold on to power one mustn't ask anyones permission or advice. One mustn't discuss decisions with anyone" (January 22) [e]. The Shah’s growing wealth lead to his ultimate demise. His antics of blowing money on silly events upset many Iranian civilians [f]. Oil within Iran was plentiful, and that was what made the economy of Iran run. However, "As oil income increased, so did corruption in the court, the royal family, and the elite" ( Habibi 406) [g].

Making the statement that Iran would soon become on of the top 5 countries in the world, the Shah used the money to put back into the economy only to realize that this would lead to inflation. One group that the Shah put blame on for the inflation was the bazaaris (merchants, shopkeepers, artisans). Setting in place the "Anti-profiteering campaign" to try and set strict controls over prices. However, one, the bazaaris turned to religious clergy members for help-all of whom were already upset with the Shah. And two, a recession hit Iran putting many Iranians out of work. Strikes on the Industrial side of Iran made the Revolutionary movement gain momentum, until the Shah had no choice but to abdicate, and leave the throne. The last straw, and the spark that made the revolution complete, was when the Shah entered the United States for medical treatment.

When news of the Shah entering America reached the ears of the Iranian demonstrators outside of the American embassy they simply walked into the embassy grounds. When met with little to no resistance by Marine guards the demonstrators announced their plan "to stage a continuous sit-in until the Shah and his multi-million dollar fortune were returned to Iran" (Lawson 18). [h] Once the media was beginning to cover the story "Jimmy Carter, the U.S. president, moved swiftly to impose sanctions. He stopped oil imports from Iran, halted shipment of American military parts, and froze Iranian bank accounts in the United States" (Peterson 32-33) [i]. This would be the beginning of a 444 day affair that would capture the hearts of America. Not until President Reagan's Inauguration would the Hostage Crisis end. The release time of the hostages not more than an twenty minutes after the inauguration, shows a since of victory for the hostage takers. Where the United States had removed Mussadeq out of office in ‘53, they were able to topple a regime in America with Jimmy Carter not winning the election.

Section C: **January, Brendan.** __**The Iranian Revolution**__ **. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.** The origin of this source, //The Iranian Revolution//  published in 2008 by author Brendon January [j] is a secondary source used in this investigation to gain knowledge of what made the Iranian Revolution happen. This exactly is the purpose of this text; useful to see how and why there was so much discontent in Iran leading up to the Revolution. The value of this source was that within the text are direct quotes from both the Shah himself, and Ayatollah Kohmeini. Limiting this source is the fact that a lot of this book focuses on Kohmeini and how he was viewed throughout the time period of the Shah. Making the book sympathetic towards Kohmeini and his cause. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Lawson, Don and Barbara Feinberg. America Held Hostage. New York: F. Watts, 1991.** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The origin of this source, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//America Held Hostage,// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is that it was published in 1991 by author Don Lawson [k] The purpose of this book was to give a detailed and accurate depiction of the event that transpired in 1979 at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The value of this source is that it was in depth about the Iranian Hostage Crisis, and this can lead to showing ways that America was affected and later aided in the Iran-Iraq war. However the limitations of this source would be that there wasn't much information found on Don Lawson an American writer. In his writing style he paints America at fault for the hostage crisis, and gives little detail to why he negatively refers to America.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Section D: Analysis (520)** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the Iranians took over the American Embassy in 1979, their actions weren't out of the blue. For thirty-eight years, the country of Iran had been held under an oppressive rule by Mohammed Reza Shah. He took an Islamic nation and turned them into a secularized and westernized nation under the influence of non-Muslim world powers, i.e. The United States. Upsetting most of his countrymen, the Shah was hated by not only the clergy but the business owners as well. The clock was ticking down against the Shah, and it was only a matter of time before the revolution took place. The reasons for the takeover of the embassy can be classified into two different categories, long-term and short-term.

While the Shah took power after his father was overthrown, he wanted to be a monarch with absolute control. He led Iran into a more modern state, but along the way made some reforms and policies that made many Iranians upset. “The huge gap between the urban and rural areas and between the rich and poor was one of the most important reasons for the unpopularity of the Shah”( Habibi 410)[l]. For most of his reign the Shah was oppressive, and dictatorial. The country of Iran moving away from its Islamic roots, and moving towards a more western country made more and more people unhappy. One leader of this movement was Ayatollah Kohmeini who helped gain momentum for an "Islamic revolution" by stating "We are for Islam, not for capitalism and feudalism, not for land-grabbers, but for the bare-footed, for deprived classes. Islam originates from the masses, not from the rich" (January 23) [m]. Kohmeini and his followers were not going to let the Shah rule them forever, and it was only going to be a matter of time before the Shah would anger enough people that Kohmeini and his plan of action be justified. However, this view point by January is limited because of his book portraying the struggles and trails of Kohmeini and propping him up as a martyr for the greater cause of the revolution.

In the last few years before the revolution, the Shah’s reign was coming to a close. He put into place reforms known as the White Revolution, yet instead of making the people happy, it angered them more. As women gained rights, “…Kohmeini and other Islamic leaders denounced the move as un-Islamic” (January 25) [n]. As products were flown in to Iran from America, the reminder that the Shah was American backed was present. Kohmeini held protests in Tehran shouting “Let the American President know that in the eyes of the Iranian people, he is the most repulsive member of the human race today because of the injustice he has imposed on our Muslim nation” (January 24) [o]. More and more were things falling apart for the Shah, his once prosperous economy dealt with a recession and inflation, and his supporters became his enemies.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Section E: Conclusion** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For years Iran was held under the rule of one man, and one man only; Mohammed Reza Shah. Although there were many reasons for the takeover of the American Embassy, most of the faults were with Reza Shah and how he chose to run his country. His movement away from an Islamic nation made the clerics unhappy, and thus led to hostility towards him. After analyzing multiple secondary sources, the investigation found that the main reasons behind the take-over of the embassy was years of oppression, westernization, and secularization all brought on by the Shah and the policies he put in place. Furthermore, Ayatollah Kohmeini’s charismatic manor, and the way that he portrayed America as the bad guy helped aid to the distaste felt by many Iranians. The hostage crisis occurred due to the fact that the Shah had failed, and the opposition was strong. Both the long term reasons and short term reasons added up to a cannon ready to explode; all it needed was a spark.

Section F: List of sources.

[a] Lawson, Don and Barbara Feinberg. America Held Hostage. New York: F. Watts, 1991._ [b] January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. [c] Ibid [d] Saikal, Amin. The Rise and Fall of the Shah. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1980. [e]January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. [f] One of these events was one in which the Shah sat on a golden throne at the ancient city of Persepolis in front of Iranian military officers in old Persian garb. The Shah constructed a tent city and while the event was extravagant it did cost around 300 million dollars. [g] Habibi, Marium et.al. Ib Course Companion. Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2010. [h] Lawson, Don and Barbara Feinberg. America Held Hostage. New York: F. Watts, 1991._ [i] Peterson, J. Tensions in the Gulf, 1978-1991. City: Mason Crest Publishers, 2007. [j] Scholastic biography on January is "Brendan January has an A.B. from Haverford College and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. He has written numerous nonfiction titles for young readers, 24 of which are in print, including "The Thirteen Colonies, Fort Sumter "and "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln." [k] Don Lawson was the editor in chief at Compton's Encyclopedia which is currently a branch of Encyclopedia Britanica. Lawson is also the author of more than 40 books. However much of the information obtained about him was from the flap on the back of his book. Not much information can be located about Lawson on the Internet. [l] Habibi, Marium et.al. Ib Course Companion. Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2010. [m] January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. [n] Ibid [o] ibid [p] ibid

Sources:

Habibi, Marium et.al. Ib Course Companion. Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2010.

January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.

Lawson, Don and Barbara Feinberg. America Held Hostage. New York: F. Watts, 1991._

Peterson, J. Tensions in the Gulf, 1978-1991. City: Mason Crest Publishers, 2007.

Saikal, Amin. The Rise and Fall of the Shah. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1980.