17 1979

Question 1

Flashpoint #1 of 1979

Answer 1

Iranian Revolution

Question 2

When did Persia become Iran?

Answer 2

1935

Question 3

Who was its shah?

Answer 3

Pahlavi’s father in 1925 when still Persia

Question 4

What happened in 1941?

Answer 4

Britain and Russia invaded Iran and forces the switch to the son.

Question 5

Why did Britain/Russian do this?

Answer 5

Germany was Iran’s largest trading partner.
They were afraid of the father’s Nazi sympathies.

Question 6

How did Iran do under the son’s rule?

Answer 6

Economically well with oil money and industrial development.

Question 7

What did the Shia clergy think about this?

Answer 7

That the Shah was too close to the West.

Question 8

In the 1901 agreement between Persia and foreignors, how much of the profits did Persia get?

Answer 8

16%

Question 9

What changed in 1951?

Answer 9

Iran’s PM nationalized the oil industry

Mohammed Mossadegh

Question 10

How did western nations respond?

Answer 10

2 years later they helped remove Mossadegh from power with an edict by the shah.

Question 11

What was the lasting effect of this?

Answer 11

The shah’s opponents never forgave him

Question 12

What did the Shah do in 1963?

Answer 12

A domestic investment policy called
The White Revolution.

Question 13

What social reforms did it include?

Answer 13

Vote for women, free education, break up of large farms

Question 14

Who did this anger?

Answer 14

Big landowners and clerics who considered it westernization

Question 15

What did Shia leader Khomeni call the shah?

Musavi Khomeni

Answer 15

A “wretched miserable man.”

Question 16

What happened to him?

Answer 16

He was arrested.

Question 17

What happened next to Khomeni?

Answer 17

He went into exile in Iraq for 14 years

Question 18

What provoked a problem in early 1978?

Answer 18

An Iranian newspaper called Khomeni a British agent.

Question 19

What did this trigger?

Answer 19

Riots supporting Khomeni.

Question 20

What did the Shah do?

Answer 20

Promised free elections next year.

Question 21

What happened?

Answer 21

Eventually protests got larger and the Shah called for martial law.

Question 22

What was Black Friday?

Sept. 8, 1978

Answer 22

The army shot at protesters killing nearly 90.

Question 23

What did Iran pressure Iraq to do?

Answer 23

Expel Khomeni.

Question 24

Where did he go?

Answer 24

To Paris, giving him better communications

Question 25

What did the Shah do?

Answer 25

He replaced the PM with the military

Question 26

What did the Shah finally do?

Answer 26

He left Iran for good.

Question 27

What did Khomeni's return mean?

Answer 27

The Iranian Revolution became an Islamic Revolution

Question 28

Was Khomeni universally popular in Iran?

Answer 28

No

Question 29

What were they hoping for?

Answer 29

That Khomeni would turn it over to a more democratic state.

Question 30

What did Khomeni think about democracy?

Answer 30

It was bad because it was Western.

Question 31

What was the second big event of 1979?

Answer 31

THe signing of the Israel / Egypt peace treaty

Question 32

How many wars had Egypt and Israel fought since 1948?

Answer 32

4 Egypt lost every one.

Question 33

What had those losses done to Egypt?

Answer 33

Hurt them economically.

Question 34

Why did Egypt finally make peace with Israel?

Answer 34

To improve its economy by engaging in international trade.

Question 35

Why did Israel make peace with Egypt?

Answer 35

They were tired of fighting for their survival.

Question 36

How did Israelis take the agreement?

Answer 36

They generally supported it.

Question 37

How did other Arab nations take it?

Answer 37

Not so well. Sadat was seen as a traitor. THey were expelled from the Arab League.

Question 38

Who saw it as an an opportunity?

Answer 38

Iraq's President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

Question 39

How had he come to power?

Answer 39

In a coup with the Ba'ath party 10 years before.

Question 40

What was the 3rd event of 1979?

Answer 40

Iraq and Syria entered into a treaty.

Question 41

What was their history?

Answer 41

From 1958-1961 Iraq/Syria were a united country called the **United Arab Republic.**

Question 42

In 1979, what went wrong with the union?

Answer 42

Iraq Deputy **Saddam Hussein** felt sidelined.

Question 43

What did Hussein do?

Answer 43

Pressured al-Bakr into resigning.

Question 44

What was the 4th event of 1979?

Answer 44

The siege of the mosque at Mecca

Question 45

What were the circumstances?

Answer 45

There were nearly 100,000 people there and 500 insurgents had smuggled in guns.

Question 46

What did they do?

Answer 46

They locked the doors.

Question 47

What was their primary demand?

Answer 47

The overthrow of the Saudi royal family.

Question 48

What else?

Answer 48

The end of oil exports to the US

Question 49

What else?

Answer 49

The expulsion of all non-Muslim foreignors from Arabia

Question 50

What was their religion?

Answer 50

Sunni, like most Saudi Arabians

Question 51

What inspired them?

Answer 51

The Iranian Revolution

Question 52

What did they believe?

Answer 52

That the judgement day was near.

Question 53

What did the Saudi government do?

Answer 53

Attacked the mob.

Question 54

How long did it take to end it?

Answer 54

2 weeks

Question 55

How many died?

Answer 55

380 or higher

Question 56

What did the US do that year?

Answer 56

Let the former Shah of Iran come for cancer treatments

Question 57

What happened next?

Answer 57

The takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran

Question 58

How many hostages did they take?

Answer 58

52

Question 59

What was the long-term impact of this?

Answer 59

It destroyed US-Iran relations to this day.

Question 60

What happened to Sadat?

Answer 60

He was assassinated in 1981

Question 61

What happened to the Saudi family after the siege?

Answer 61

Became even more conservative.