All The Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer Essay

The Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 is the revolt that led to the creation of the Islamic Republic. This revolution refers to the overthrowing of the Pahlavi dynasty who was supported by the United States. The revolution was sought after by civilians after the wasting of money and economic concerns. The major export of oil began to rise in attempt to modernize Iran. This “modernization” shifted the social classes causing havoc on the economy and cost of living. The revolution was deemed a success and a new era would soon reign.

In the late 1970's, the world was hit with the events of the Iranian Revolution, a movement in which the Shah was overthrown in replacement with Ayatollah Khomeini. Causes for this movement included the economic, political, and socio-economic conditions in Iran before the Revolution. Economically, the Shah's hopes for the country ended up being their downfalls while politically, the Shah's ruling as a dictator prohibited the freedom of the Iranians. Socio-economically, the Shah didn't place much emphasis on religion, angering the majority of the population. The overthrow of the Shah led to the uprise of a religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, a figure supported by many. Unlike advice

The complexity of America’s relationship with Iran increased steadily beginning in 1908, when Iran struck oil. The Shah, the king or emperor of Iran, after taking the place of his young predecessor Reza Shah Pahlavi with the help of the CIA, led Iran into a period of extreme wealth and prosperity, the likes of which the Iranian people had never experienced. However, with the growth of wealth in Iran came the growth of Iranian resentment towards the West, specifically the United States. The Iranian’s resented the uneven distribution of wealth that they felt existed and the United State’s influence in “westernizing” their society. In 1963, this growing hatred led to a conflict with the Islamic clergy. The conflict was quickly settled by the Shah, but he was unaware that this dispute was the beginning

In the novel All The Shah's Men we are introduced to Iran, and the many struggles and hardships associated with the history of this troubled country. The Iranian coup is discussed in depth throughout the novel, and whether the Untied States made the right decision to enter into Iran and provide assistance with the British. If I were to travel back to 1952 and take a position in the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) for the sole purpose of examining the American Foreign Intelligence, I would have to conclude that the United States should have examined their options more thoroughly, and decided not to intervene with Iran and Mossadegh. I have taken this position after great analysis, which is something that Eisenhower and his staff never

Thesis: Iran, because of these events, is in worse condition because of the cultural revolution, poisoned from within, and is the victim of the actions of the western powers.

In 1953, the United States’ CIA and Great Brittan’s M16 staged a Coup D’état against, then Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh. He valued each individual citizen and prided himself in aiding the impoverished and focusing on the development of his country, as opposed to focusing on the further advancement of the western world. Mohammad Mossadegh was very popular in Iran, both among politicians and his citizens; however, he was highly criticized by western leaders.

Although it seemed from the outside world that Iran was making great progress, within the country the conservative Shiite Muslim population, which represented about ninety percent of the people, would not accept the liberalization of Iran. There was opposition to the Shah because of the changes in the cultural climate of Iran. The large presence of Americans in Iran also caused further fear that the culture of Persia would be lost. (Document D) The new rights given to women were not in alignment with the Shiite Muslim religion and one of the greatest fears of the conservative majority was the possibility of women gaining enough power to change the way the country was ruled as illustrated in the political cartoon. (Document F) By September of 1978 the conflict between the people and the government of the Shah reached a boiling point. The Revolution began with the Shah exercising martial law and the response of the people with confrontations and strikes. (Document D) By December it was obvious that the Shah was losing the power struggle and on

Britain originally pursued cooperation in planning the takeover from President Truman, but he refused. After President Eisenhower's election in 1953, the Britain approached Eisehower with the takeover idea. He agreed and instructed the CIA to assist in an operation against Iran's government. The operation consisted of bribing influential figures,

This book, All the Shah’s Men, is written like an exciting spy-novel explaining the Central Intelligence Agency’s coup in 1953, for an American attack on Iran. The book begins by explaining how Reza Shah signed an agreement to sell Iranian oil release rights to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In 1950, Iran violated the agreement by scheming to take the oil assets that were created by Great Britain. Thus, causing the British to barricade the Persian Gulf, stopping the trade in Iran and seriously damaging their economy. Worried that Iran was collaborating with the Soviet Union concerning the oil issue against Great Britain, Mosssadegh was overthrown by President Eisenhower and Churchill.

Iran cut all ties with the United States and lost its dominance in the area; it’s army was disorganized and weak. The Iranian Revolution created disorder in many Iranian military units and Iranian confrontation with the U.S. ensured it would be cut off from its primary weapons supplier. During the year after the fall of the Shah, many areas of Iran were approaching civil war; this frenzy in Iran made the country seem much more vulnerable than it really was, and led Saddam Hussein to feel he had his first genuine opportunity to make Iraq the dominant power in the area and the Arab world (Cordesman & Wagner, 1990).

Some background information about the Islamic regime and the Shahs of Iran comes from the book, “In the twentieth century, Iran entered a new phase. Reza Shah decided to modernize and westernize the country, but meanwhile a fresh source of wealth was discovered: oil. And with the oil came another invasion. The West, particularly Great Britain, wielded a strong influence on the Iranian economy. During the Second World War, the British, Soviets, and Americans asked Reza Shah to ally himself with them against Germany. But Reza Shah, who sympathized with the Germans, declared Iran as a neutral zone. So the Allies invaded and occupied Iran. Reza Shah was sent into exile and was succeeded by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was known simply as the Shah” (p.1-2). Which leads up to the reason why the shah seemed to have the worse policies.

Iran had been ruled by Shahs, which were essentially absolute monarchies for countless years. The Pahlavi dynasty was the latest family to hold the throne. Of course, Shahs weren’t the only powerful figures in Iranian society. Iranians are a people who are firmly embedded in their religion and traditions. And Shia clerics are the respected leaders of the religious aspects of Iranian life. Looking back into the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is evident that the Shahs and Clerics often were at odds with one another.

It was not until the post-revolutionary period between the years of 1980-1988 that Iranian civil society started to change. A revolutionary state was looking to change the state and contain the power that was already within the government. Under Hashemi Rafsanani’s presidency (1989-1997) Iranian economic and social life underwent important structural changes. The new

The Iranian government only received 25% of the profits (Zaya, n.d.). As oil is one of Iran’s biggest export this seizure of the oilfields was a topic of great consternation. The conditions for the Anglo-Persian Iranian workers were dismal as the account in “All the Shah 's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror” illustrates. American author, Stephan Kinzer writes, “Wages were 50 cents a day. There was no vacation pay, no sick leave, no disability compensation. The workers lived in a shanty town called Kaghazabad, or Paper City, without running water or electricity” (Kinzer, 2003). As this is a primary source, it can be assumed that this is an accurate account on the conditions for the workers. This mistreatment of the Iranians and their government was the beginning of the distrust and aversion to the West in Iran.

a dim view of this effort by the Shah. The Shah was naive in these matters, he had trouble making decisions, he was more of a manipulator then leader. A manipulator has trouble making decisions, potentially they can be manipulated if they do make decisions.