the history you need for understanding Fisk chapter 4

The Past Century of Persian/Iranian History

A couple of books on Iran that I would recommend buying if you see them at Half Price Books (or order them used from Froogle):

Ken Pollack's The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America.

Dilip Hiro, Iranian Labyrinth

David Harris,The Crisis: The President, the Prophet, and the Shah-1979 and the Coming of Militant Islam

Stephen Kinzer, All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

Azar Nafisi Reading Lolita In Tehran: A Memoir In Books

1906: Constitutional Revolution establishes Iran's first Parliament. Iran (Persia) was in a position similar to other ancient autocracies confronting the West, how to modernize and thus prevent colonization, while still preserving its distinctive political and cultural identity. Compare it to Japan, Russia, Siam, Russia, Ethiopia. Persia at this time was subject to competition from Britain and Russia: replace Britain with the US halfway through the 20th century, and Russia with the Soviet Union ... and that is the situation until 1991. Neither Russia or Britain wanted a strong liberal Persia. And because it was locked in this competition between two great powers, Persia naturally looked outside for support, particularly to Germany.

1921 Military commander Reza Khan topples Ahmad Shah (1909) of the Qajar dynasty that had ruled for almost 150 years. The Brits and Russians had worked to subvert the constitutional republic, preferring a feeble monarchy. World War I hammered Persia's economy, and the country was fragmenting. Reza Khan sought to use the military to unify the country.

1925 Reza Khan names himself Shah of Iran, first of the Pahlavi dynasty. Big projects for the new Shah: a railroad connecting the pieces of the country, mass education outside of the control of the Shiite clergy, tax and legal reform, concentration of political power in his hands. Typical modernizing autocrat, try to impose his will on a backward country without allowing political power to become diffused.

1935 Country's name officially changes from Persia to Iran.

1941-1945 Although Iran declared its neutrality in WWII, the Allies believed Reza Khan sympathetic to Nazis and forced him to abdicate to his son Mohammad Reza. Allies use Iran as a supply line to Russia.


1951 Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh nationalizes oil industry. Britain retaliates with a trade embargo, leading to economic collapse.

1953 The Mossadegh government is overthrown in a CIA-British-backed coup; Mohammad Reza Shah, who had fled, returns to power.

1963 The Shah begins the "White Revolution," an ambitious--and controversial-modernization program. Opponents are repressed.

1979 the Shah is toppled in an Islamic revolution, establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran as a theocracy under the rule of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Fifty-two Americans are taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy.


1980 Attempted rescue of hostages fails; eight U.S servicemen die,

1980 Iraq invades Iran, sparking an eight-year war that kills an estimated 500,000. America backs Iraq with military intelligence but supplies weapons to both sides.

1981 American hostages are released after 444 days in captivity.

1985 Secret arms deals conducted between the U.S. and Iran later becomes known as the Iran-Contra affair.

1988 Iran and Iraq sign a cease-fire agreement.

1995 Accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism, the United States bans all trade with the nation.

1997 Reformist Mohammad Khatami is elected president by a landslide.

2000 Reformists win 70 percent of Parliament seats, Hard-line judiciary begins crackdown on newspaper editors and dissidents, leading to newspaper closures and arrests.

2001 President Khatami is reelected in a landslide victory.

2002 President George W, Bush lists Iran, together with North Korea and Iraq, as part of the "Axis of Evil"

• 2004 Conservatives regain control of Parliament after thousands of reformist candidates are disqualified. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rebukes Iran for failing to cooperate with nuclear inspections.
  



• 2005 Iran allows IAEA inspections in January.
  

From Afshin Molavi, "A new day in Iran?" Smithsonian Mar2005, Vol. 35 Issue 12, p54-63