In 1962, Kennedy who feared the Russians would exploit the backwardness of Iranian society encouraged the Shah. The Shah then distributed titled deeds to land less peasants. In 1967, feudal landlords opposed the Shah’s land reforms and religious leaders who saw them as a threat to traditional power, but only to the oil increase in the sixties, brought a transformation to Iran’s economy in society. In 1976, more than one half of the population lived in urban areas due to the Shah’s reform. Iran became a nation of uprooted and bewildered country people struggling to survive in chaotic urban slumps. The Shah was seen by the United States as the power to defend Western interest. The Shah built the fifth largest military force in the world using much of the income from oil to buy modern weapons from the West.
The Islamic faith brought to Iran by Arab conquerors in the seventh century A.D., is essential to the Iran cultural history.
Shah showed little respect for the Islamic tradition and he also underestimated the influence of the Islamic religious leaders called, Muller’s, of ordinary Iranian people. One of the leading Muller’s, Itola Khomeini, would be the cause of Shah’s downfall. After 1963, torture and maltreatment became current practice of prisoners. In 1977 Jimmy Carter held emphasis on worldwide human rights and the Shah felt obliged to give the Iranian people a limited measure of free speech in Iran. The opposition was protesting Shah’s policies by submitting a letter to the palace. Dec. 24th, 1977 campuses of Tehran with Carter’s encouragement became the discussion and places of free speech and even political meetings were previously banned literature was openly distributed. The student’s literature that was bound was now brought to the public. Carter was persuaded to endorse the Shah’s policies in a public speech.
In 1978 the Shah celebrates the Iranian New Year. Shah was restored to power with the help of the American CIA. Twenty-five years before a populist nationalist movement had driven him out of the country. This is the year when major riots broke out in the streets and Universities of Tehran. November fifth, students tried to pull down the Shah’s statue. Thirty students were killed by this riot. The day after the students had their funeral, students gathered around and chanted Death to Shah, Death to Shah!
Cinemas accused of showing Western pornographic films were burned and Shah let Tehran burn because of the need for measures. Khomeni, the leading Muller, said that there is no room for compromise and the Shah shall not be accepted as King any longer. December 10, 1978 nearly twenty million people marched for Khomeini’s leadership. The Shah appointed a new Prime minister and agreed to take a holiday abroad and promise to be a constitutional monarch in the future. In January, people demonstrated in the new Prime Ministers favor. Shah left the country never to return as celebrations were held in the streets. Demonstrators camped at the airport to await Khomeini who was brought back after fourteen years from France. Khomeini was welcomed back by three million people.
The riots continued and the government started a counter offense against the streets protest. They used armed troops against unarmed demonstrators. Iatolla Khomeini continued his resistance against the Shah. In his revolt against the Shah, police fired on the Khomeini Demonstrators. The army shut down the University and there was forty days of mourning for those who were killed. Tehran demonstrators were peaceful, elsewhere they turned to violence. In 1978 nearly one hundred people were killed because the police killed and protestors got angry. More troops were then sent in to stop the outraged protestors.
On May 11, 1978 rioting broke out once again. On the 26th nearly 400 people were burned alive in cinemas. These were of course demonstrations led by Khomeini. Shah tried to defuse a dangerous situation by hiring a new Prime Minister. September fourth, over 100,000 chanted let us unite and strengthen our religion. September 8th, troops were sent in to shoot and kill. More than 4,000 were killed during that protest.
In 1979, Iran was now in dual power and Khomeini had appointed his own Prime Minister without official government permission. The people were preparing to finish off what was left of the Shah’s régime. The unarmed Iranians were handed guns. Two hundred thousand civilians were involved and air forced technicians handed out weapons to the Iranians. Many soldiers joined the people because they were so outnumbered.
Prominent figures from the old régime were arrested, brought to trial, and executed. No one at this point felt secure. Yasa Arafat was the first visitor and promised death to every member of the Shah’s family.
The Islamic thugs on November 4th, enabled Khomeini to regain the initiative and rally the country around him in a confrontation around the United States.
Students seized the United States Embassy Staff as hostages. The only concession the demonstrators made was to release all of the non-American hostages as well as the black and most of the women. The blacks were released because they were victims of American oppressors. The women were freed because the Muslims did not wage war against women. Four men and eight women escaped from the embassy. The number of hostages was down to 52. The demands were to release the Shah to Iran for trial, the return of the Shahs wealth to the Iranian people, an admission of guilt by the United States for its past actions in Iran, plus an apology and a promise not to interfere in Iran’s affairs in the future. In response to these demands, Carter threatened new sanctions against Iran unless some progress was forthcoming.
The media gave the crisis an extremely high level of coverage, including nightly TV specials on the situation. This added to the emotional response of the American people, and showed huge mobs of crazed Iranians in Tehran Chanting, “Death to America, Death to Carter, and Death to Shah.” Representatives of Uncle Sam and Carter were burned and numerous American flags were spat upon, trampled, and burned in the streets. American television audiences were shocked to see blindfolded members of the United States Marines embassy guard, with their hands tied behind their backs, as they were paraded before TV cameras.
Citizens of all ages who normally paid little attention to foreign affairs sat transfixed in front of their TV sets, breathlessly following each new twist and turn of events even when not much was happening. Television quickly domesticated the foreign scenes and characters by bringing them into the intimacy of our living rooms. During the first few months of the siege, about one-third of the three networks weeknight newscast time was devoted to the hostage story. ABC created a regular thirty-minute nightly program, The Crisis in Iran: America Held Hostage, which premiered on Day 5 of the crisis and promised to broadcast as long as the crisis lasted. On day 74, CBS broadcasted by announcing the number of days the hostages had been kept captive, and maintained that practice until the end of the crisis. In December of 1979, the wife of the senior foreign officer being held hostage, she tied a yellow ribbon around a tree on her lawn. The yellow ribbon sprouted all over the country, and the song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” was revived with a new meaning that helped unite the country against Khomeini.
Carter went on TV to report to American people on the disaster that had just occurred. The President behaved with great dignity by making no excuses, sought no scapegoats, and accepted full responsibility. Eagle Claw was an attempt to free the hostages that failed miserably. One chopper was forced down due to rotor blade trouble, one chopper was forced down because the pilot was blinded by a sandstorm, and three more were declared inoperable. One accidentally collided with a transport killing eight Americans.
In the later part of the candidacy if the hostages were released before the election people would think it was a desperate attempt for Carter to win against Reagan. Carter ended up losing his election but he ended his term as president fighting for those held hostage in Iran. He went out with pride because in the end all the hostages were set free and that was his main concern.
Melanie Pridgen