American Influence and Foreign Policy in Iranian Revolution and Iranian Hostage Crisis

1350 Words3 Pages

Did American foreign policy and influence lead to the Iranian revolution and spark the Iranian hostage crisis?
Part A
This investigation determines to what extent American foreign policy, within the years 1953-1982, caused the Iranian embassy siege. Furthermore, it questions the role that the Carter and Kennedy administrations had in furthering the American agenda within Iran. In order to assess the role American influence played, this investigation evaluates the relations between the Carter administration and Mohammed Raza Pahlevi during his tenure as Shah. Carter’s Middle-Eastern foreign policy is examined to gain further insight into the influence that the United States had over Pahlevi. Also, the role that the televised address from President Carter played in igniting the Iranian revolution is also considered. The events that sparked the Iranian Revolution and the subsequent coup that ousted the Shah from power are also considered. By utilizing a variety of sources such as academic journals, books, and films; this investigation will attempt to illustrate the role that American influence and foreign policy played in sparking the hostage crisis.
Part B
Prior to the downfall of the Iranian Shah, Mohammed Raza Pahlevi, Iran was a strong American ally. In 1953, the United States played a large role in the ousting of democratically elected Premier Mohammed Mossadeq. The downfall of Mossadeq brought the Shah Pahlevi back into power. Through Operation Ajax, the CIA forced Mossadeq to resign by utilizing tactics such as bribing key figures in Mossadeq’s government, placing false statements in national newspapers and instigating violence and protests. The reinstatement of the Iranian Shah was to the advantage of the United States as it ...

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...ution. It did have a large impact but the according to historians, the rising rate of modernization had a far greater role as a catalyst of the Iranian Revolution. American influence and foreign policy had large impacts on the Iranian Revolution. Furthermore, American foreign policy had a direct impact on the Iranian hostage crisis.

Works Cited
American Presidency Project. 31 December 1977. 16 May 2014.
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Rubin. "American Relations." Rubin. n.d. 305-3015.
Schaefer, Sandy. ScreenRant. n.d. 18 May 2014.
Sick, Gary. United States Institute of Peace. n.d. 3 May 2014.
The Robert S. Strauss Centre. August 2008. 1 May 2014.
Wise, Krysta. "Islamic Revolution of 1979: The Downfall of American- Iranian Relations." Open Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2012): 1-16. Electronic.

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