Iranian Revolution of 1979 and its Impact on the Middle East Essay Example for Free

Iranian Revolution of 1979 and its Impact on the Middle East Essay Iranian Revolution is described as the events which involved in overthrow of the Iran’s monarchy, which was under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and afterward replacement with Islamic republic by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who was the leader of the revolution (Abdelnasser, 1997). It is known as 1979 Revolution or Islamic Revolution. The 1979 revolution is said to have been a nationalist, Shi’a Islamic and populist revolution, which replaced monarch with theocracy guided by Islamic jurists (Abdelnasser, 1997). Shah Mohammad Reza regime collapsed in early 1979 and marked the end of monarchial rule in Iran for more than 450 years. The origin of Iranian revolution can be traced back to the coup deter of 1953 which was against the front leader of the nation and the prime minister or the 1963 abortive uprising which was sparked by Ayatollah Khomeini arrest. The reason of Iran leader Mohammad Reza to be overthrown is subject of the historical debate. The Iranian revolution was to some extend a backlash conservative against the secularizing and westernizing efforts of the Shah who was backed by the western nations especially the Americans. The shah also had no conservative reaction to the social injustice as well as to other ancient regime shortcomings. Many Iranians perceived the Shah as being a puppet of the western power who were non-Muslims and who had culture, which was contaminating the culture of Iran (Salehi, 1988). The Shah regime was seen by the Iranians as being oppressive, corrupt, extravagant and brutal. The regime suffered from functional failures since the economic programs were overly ambitious and thus brought inflation, shortages and economic bottlenecks. The Iranian revolution is said to have been unique since it surprised the whole world. The surprise was because the revolution overthrew regime, which had support of many nations internationally and also which was protected heavily by lavishly financed security and army services (Amuzegar, 1991). Furthermore the revolution was conducted by unarmed demonstrators and crumbled the regime in duration of months. The revolution customary causes include: war defeat, peasant rebellion, financial crisis and disgruntled military (Ganji, 2002). Other causes of the revolution include policy of the Iran Shah and his policy mistakes. The shah strong westernization policy as well as his close identification with the United States of America is one factor which mainly caused the revolution (Gabriel, 1998). This included the allied powers original installation of the Shah as well as the CIA assistance to restore him in the power in 1953. In addition, the shah had many US military technicians and advisers and also was granted diplomatic immunity for them not to prosecute him. This led to the nationalist Iranians irrespective of their religion, to consider this Shah as the American puppet. Another cause of the revolution was the Islamic tradition unpopular disregard in the year 1976. The shah changed the calendar from Islamic to imperial, marking the Cyrus birthday to be the first day, where as is supposed to be the day on the flight of prophet Muhammad to Medina from Mecca (Ganji, 2002). The year overnight to 2535 from1355. The revolution was also caused by the policies of the shah rule, which was said to have corruption, extravagance and elitism and also the people did not like the shah royal court. Furthermore, the Shah failed to cultivate leadership supporters of the Shia religion who could have encountered the campaigns by Khomeini against him. Failure of the overly ambitious economic program in 1974, which was to meet the expectations brought by the windfall of the oil revenue, was also another cause (Daniel, 2001). In 1977-78, the Iran experienced a short but sharp economic contraction period which followed a considerable economic growth period and according to Crane Brinton who is a revolution scholar, situation like that create much disappointment larger than if the people were left all long in poverty. Shah also was focusing on government repression and surveillance on the Iran people’s Mujahedin, the communist Iran Tudeh party as well as other groups of leftist, while the religious opposition who were more popular grew, organized, and gradually started undermining the regime authority. Shah also had tendencies of authoritarian that violated constitution of Iran of 1906. This included dissent repression by security services such as the SAVAK, and then followed by appearance and appeasement of weakness while the revolution was gaining momentum (Amuzegar, 1991). The people of Iran exercised Alex de Tocqueville idea, which he stated that, when people who have been put up under oppressive rule for a long time without any protest over a sudden finds that the government pressure is relaxing, they join arms against it (Abdelnasser, 1997). Inflation, bottle necks and shortages followed by black markets, attacks on the alleged gougers of price and also the austerity measures, which angered the bazaar as well as the masses influenced the revolution. In addition, Shah antagonized former political Iranians, in particular the bazaar merchants by creating single party to have political monopoly, and this party had compulsory dues and membership (Ganji, 2002). This shah also generally had aggressive interference on the economic, political and concerns of religion on people’s lives. The Iranian shah had started having overconfident neglect in his governance and also had preoccupation of playing the statesmen of the world during oil boom, which followed a loss of his resolution and self confidence. Also his health had been weakened by cancer by the time the revolution was gaining momentum. The terminal illness of the shah was secret for a time, but he knew he was to die due to cancer; his medication on the other hand made him to be listless and depressed. Furthermore, several of his closest advisers had for the time died, and the personnel of palace had been fired in large number during the 1978 summer. The Shah had also underestimated the opposition strength and more especially the religious opposition (Salehi, 1988). The efforts to please and convince the opposition were too little and untimely even if no counter-attack efforts were made against the revolutionaries. His failure to train and prepare his security forces to deal with demonstration and protest also lead to the success of the revolution. His failure to control the crowd without using excessive force since the troops used live ammunition rather than the using water cannons or Plexiglas led to the revolution. The military officers also was used as power base who were to be pampered rather than using them as force for controlling security threats. Furthermore, the shah government had a personalized nature and he much prevented any possible or potential competitor to the trumped efficient of the monarch and also effective government. This led to crown cultivation of the divisions within political elite and the army and ultimately, the regime lack of support by its allies by the time he most needed them since many Iranians had left the country at the time when the revolution was beginning (Khomeini, 2010). The monarch government used to take governmental matters as personal interests, used to discourage initiatives by the frequent dismissal from office and also their overruling, and also their refusal to allow cooperation of officials in fear of the regicidal conspiracies. The shah was careful when meeting his generals and top aides individually and in his absence; the whole system could not be able to function. This made the revolution to take place and succeed efficient. The revolution had several impacts in the Iran country and the Middle East at large. First the revolution led to anew peoples governance which was to be guided by Islamic laws. The officials of American embassy were taken on hostage and Mr. Bazargan resigned. Khomeini established revolutionary guard to be counter weight of both the left armed groups as well as to the military of Shah. The guard with time grew to a military force at a full-scale and also became the revolution strongest institution. People serving under Pasdaran were the most oppressed mobilization known as Baseej-e Mostazafin who were volunteers in every activity starting from management of earthquake emergency to attacking newspaper offices and opposition demonstrators (Amuzegar, 1991). Thousands of revolutionary committees acted as the ears and eyes for the new found regime and were criticized for their arbitrary arrests and executions as well as property confiscations. Also, the regime wills enforcement was done by the Hezbollahi who were known as God party and they were strong-arm thugs whose role was to attack newspaper offices and demonstrators. Two political parties were formed after the fall of Shah Regime and were later suppressed by the pro-Khomeini group. These parties were, moderate religious group known as Muslims People’s Republican Party (MPRP) associated with the Mohammad Kazem and the other group was National Democratic Front (NDF) (Gabriel, 1988). Soon after the government of Khomeini, referendum was conducted as whether to replace the monarchy system and replace it with Islamic republic and 98. 2%voted for the favor of the referendum (Abdelnasser, 1997). Khomeini then declared the government should have 100%base on Islam. In addition, new constitution provided jurist rule to have powerful post, which should control security services and the military as well as to appoint judicial and top government officials (Khomeini, 2010). Khomeini also increased cleric’s number in the guardian council and their power and granted it control over legislature passed laws as well as the elections. One year after the revolution, Saddam Hussein invaded Iran with an attempt of taking advantage of the Iran revolutionary chaos as well as destroys the revolution when it is still young. Iran was then galvanized and people of Iran rallied behind the Khomeini government to help stop and reverse advance of Iraq. After another two years, Iran regained their land which had been lost in the invasion. Just like hostage crisis, the Iran war served as opportunity for the new regime to make stronger the revolutionary groups as well as the Islamic revolutionary at expense of the remaining turned-opponent allies (Amuzegar, 1991). While destructive and enormous costly, the Iran war rejuvenated drive for Islamic revolution and national unity as well as inhabiting fractious dispute and debate in the country. Shortly after the constitution election, several news papers, magazines and writing assembly opposing the idea of Khomeini, jurist theocratic rule, were made to shut down. When the NDP organized for the protests, Khomeini denounced them and said they thought they were dealing with people but now there is evidence that they are not. He further said that after each revolution, corrupt elements are supposed to be executed to the public and be burned (Ganji, 2002). He said they have not been given authority to publish the newspapers. After that speech, several people were injured and harmed by clubs, chains, iron bars and rocks when they were attacked by the Hezbollahi and shortly afterwards, a warrant was given for the NDF leader arrest. In December 1979, Islam party MPRP under its leader Shariatmadari had now become a rallying point of the Iranians who did not want theocracy but wanted democracy. Riots in Shariatmadari home area broke out and the followers of shariatdari and the members of MPRP seized the television station of Tabriz and used it to broadcast grievances and demands. The new regime reacted quickly and sends the revolutionary guards to take the station, the mediators to make diffusion of the complaints whereas the activists to stage counter demonstration of pro-Khomeini. In 1980, under leadership of Bansidr, universities in the country were closed to purge opponents of the theocratic rule in the nation as a part of Cultural Revolution. 8,000 military officers and 20,000 teachers were dismissed out of work since they were deemed to be westernized. In 1981, the office of IRP was bombed and seventy high-ranking officers were killed which included cabinet ministers as well as the parliament members (Ganji, 2002). Thousands of people were arrested and also hundreds of them were executed. In conclusion, the revolution of Iran even if it brought change to a new governance, the existing government seems to be the one which was promoting social unity between the people of Iran with other people of different nations. The constitution which was brought by this new government divided people and planted enmity in the society of Iran. American foreign policy on Iran changed with the new Iran Government taking a hardliner stance.

Edward Teach aka Blackbeard the Pirate Essay -- biographies bio biogra

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was undoubtedly one of the most feared and most despised pirates of all time. Edward Teach is thought to have lived in England before his pirate career, although his exact origins are unknown. He was named "Blackbeard", for his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. To strike terror in the hearts of his enemies Blackbeard would weave hemp into his hair, and light it during battle. Edward Teach was an unusually large man, carrying two swords, numerous knives, and pistols- he was feared by his own crew. At the sight of this pirate, many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. If they did, he would often times just take their valuables, rum, and weapons— allowing them to sail away. However, if the vessel resisted capture, he would either kill the crew, or maroon them. Blackbeard needed to maintain his devilish image in order to maintain the respect of his crew (very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn’t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him). Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard’s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected t... ...ks running in blood. The battle could have had a different ending, Blackbeard had ordered one of his crew to blow up the powder magazine if the boat was taken, and fortunately for the survivors one of his less determined shipmates stopped him. The battle was over. It was rumoured that Blackbeard’s headless body ran amok and jumped into the water swimming around the ship. Whatever the truth of these tales, Maynard sailed home with Blackbeard’s head on a pole. Blackbeard had captured over 40 ships during his piratical career, and had been the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people. Although Blackbeard's lawless career lasted only a few years, his fearsome reputation has long outlived him. The death of Blackbeard and the trial of the remaining crew were seen as the beginning of the end of the years of buccaneering glory, and a big coup in the war against piracy.

How Enzymes Work in the Home and in Industry Essay Essay

This essay aims to explore the ways on how enzymes are used in home and in industry, and it aims to explain the advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes in the home and industry. An enzyme is a protein that is formed by the body that acts as a catalyst to cause a certain desired reaction. Enzymes are very specific. Each enzyme is designed to initiate a specific response with a specific result. Firstly, the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 172 that â€Å"in the past, people boiled and scrubbed their clothes to get them clean – by hand! Now we have washing machines and enzymes ready and waiting to digest the stains.† This is telling us how people now use enzymes at home and it is much easier from the past. This is an example of how enzymes are used in homes. Enzymes are used to get rid of the stains that are on the clothes in washing machines. Enzymes are used to break down proteins and fats that are in the stains. This is evident in the same textbook on the same page number mentioned above when it says, â€Å"many people use biological detergents to remove stains such as grass, sweat and food from their clothes. Biological washing powders contain proteases and lipases.† Proteases and lipases are those enzymes that are used to break down the proteins and fats that are in the stains. In addition, it is better to use biological detergents instead of non-biological detergents at lower temperatures because that is when the enzymes work at their best, if the water is too hot then they are denatured and this also means that you use less electricity. The edited book version called ‘Enzymes in Industry’ written by Dr Wolfgang Aehle published in 2007 suggests that â€Å"in the food industry enzymes are used to improve dairy products like cheese or to supply us with breads that have the right crumb structure and give us the right mouth feel while eating.† This is showing how and why enzymes are used in industry. They are used to improve dairy products or to supply with breads that are good enough for us. Protease enzymes are used to make baby foods. In the book ‘Chemistry at a glance’ published by Roger Owen and Sue King it says on page 116 â€Å"proteins in baby foods may be pre-digested by proteases (enzymes which digest proteins). Babies are not very good at digesting the food when they first begin to eat solid foods. By using protease enzymes in the food, makes it easier for a baby’s digestive system to cope with it and then the babies can also get the amino acids that need from their food more easily. There are more enzymes used in industry like carbohydrases to convert starch into sugar (glucose syrup). There are many advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes. Enzymes can be good to use. In the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 173 that â€Å"in industrial processes, many o the reactions need high temperatures and pressures to make them go fast enough to produce the products needed. This needs expensive equipment and requires a lot of energy.† The good thing is that by using enzymes it would solve industrial problems like these. On the same page, it says the enzymes â€Å"catalyze at relatively low temperatures and normal pressures. This is why the enzyme-based processes are cheap to run. This is an advantage showing that by using enzymes it is cheaper and easier. There are also disadvantages of using enzymes. This is evident in the same book on the same page as it mentions, â€Å"one problem with enzymes is that they are denatured at high temperatures, so the temperature must be kept down†. This shows that by using enzymes they can be denatured so you would have to be careful and keep an eye on the temperature. In addition, the pH needs to be controlled and it costs money to control these conditions which means it is bad. You would have to pay to control theses conditions and if you do not then the enzymes would denature which is not good. The original BBC Bitesize GCSE website in the science section suggests that there are many enzymes, which are expensive to produce. This is evident on the website as it says, â€Å"In industry, enzymes allow reactions that normally need expensive, energy-demanding equipment to happen at normal temperatures and pressures. On the other hand, most enzymes are denatured at high temperatures.† This shows that many enzymes are quite expensive to produce and this is a disadvantage of using enzymes. In conclusion, enzymes are used in many places like homes and in the industry because they can be good in ways such as using them in baby food, which would help the digestive system of babies. However, there are also some disadvantages of using enzymes for example some enzymes can be very expensive to produce. I believe that enzymes should be used in some places and should not in others, this way I think that there would not be trouble caused.

Carbon Cycle And Its Effect On Earth - 1461 Words

The four cycles important to ecosystem are water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. The Water cycle describes the movement of water on Earth through evaporation, transpiration, condensation and precipitation. Carbon cycle is crucial for all organic living organisms. Carbon is produced by combustion of wood and burning of fossil fuels, which plants then take in; animals eat plants and exhale carbon dioxide, which is one-way carbon, is placed in the atmosphere. An additional source of carbon is the ocean floor absorbs carbon sediments and when they move a volcanic eruption occurs and releases carbon dioxide gas during an eruption as well as decomposition of plant and animals, which return carbon to sediments. After millions of years, these sediments create fossil fuel or oil which when burnt returns carbon to the atmosphere. Carbon is truly a co-dependent cycle. Photosynthesis removes carbon from the atmosphere and exhaling returns it to the atmosphere. Nitrogen cycle is a nat ural process where nitrogen passes through air to soil to organisms through a process of nitrogen fixation and denitrification. Nitrogen is important, as it is useful in the production of amino acids, protein, and nucleic acids. It is the most abundant. Phosphate is essential to cell membranes, human bones, teeth, and plant life. Phosphorous is minimally in the atmosphere as dust particles .Plants absorb phosphate thru the soil animals eat the plants and via decomposition or waste phosphate isShow MoreRelatedHuman Health And Sustainable Development1563 Words   |  7 Pagesattempted to achieve a more sustainable environment on earth. However, over the past few years, humans have been very irresponsible and unsuccessful as they have depleted what the nature has provided and disrupted the balance that is so essential in life. Humans are disturbing the sustainable development by destroying many cycles of life that were given to us such as the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and water cycle. This will have a negative effect on the future generations as they will struggle toRead MoreThe Carbon Cycle1497 Words   |  6 Pages‘passing of the atom’ along a chain of processes is called a cycle, the series of processes in which the carbon atom goes through is called the carbon cycle. Each Carbon is the fourth most affluent element in the universe and is an important part of most molecules that make up most of the world’s natural resources and organic matter, which is why the carbon cycle is one of the most important cycles on earth. Through-out the cycle, carbon can become several different forms such as sugar, oil, diamondRead MoreEssay on The Great Debate on Global Warming1502 Words   |  7 Pageswarming would occur in 1896 (Harris 16). Researchers who agree it is naturally caused insist the greenhouse effect has many natural causes. Others agree that the cause of the Earth’s increase in temperature is just part of a continuous cycle. Th ese researchers argue that solar activity plays a huge role in the issue of global warming. Therefore, based upon the myth of the greenhouse effect, cyclical patterns, and research on solar activity, global warming is not a man-made dilemma. When greenhouseRead MoreExplain Why Is Anthropogenic Activities Surrounding Deforestation The Primary Drive Of Global Climate Change839 Words   |  4 Pagesprimary drive of global climate change? Carbon cycle Carbon is an important part of all living things on earth. The carbon cycle is a way for nature to recycle and store this important element. The carbon cycle works when humans breathe in the oxygen and breathe out carbon called CO2. Plants work the opposite way, they breathe in the CO2 that humans and animals breathe out and they create oxygen using the process of photosynthesis. When things die, carbon that was contained or stored in them isRead More Global Warming - We CAN Make a Difference Essay1251 Words   |  6 Pagesaffecting the Earth and its inhabitants? The greenhouse effect and global warming both correspond with each other. The green house effect is incoming solar radiation that passes through the Earths atmosphere and heats the earths surface. It absorbed much of the outgoing infrared radiation re-radiated by the Earths surface. As they absorb the infrared the atmosphere becomes warmer. The gases key to this process are water vapor and carbon dioxide and methane. Th e natural greenhouse effect has keptRead MoreThe Issue Of Global Climate Change1374 Words   |  6 Pagesaccelerating the process of global climate change. Scientists have provided solid evidence of global climate change by humans in multiple studies, but others believe that climate change is caused solely by nature and the naturalness of the Earth’s cycle. According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA, over 97% of climate scientists agree that global warming is mostly likely caused by human activities. In our society today, there is a lot of misconception of the definitionRead MoreClimate Change : A Global Threat For The Population1377 Words   |  6 PagesClimate change is viewed as new global threat for the population all around the world. Climate change can be define as â€Å"Disturbance in environment and climate patterns with respect to increased level of atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen ratio†. Climate change is now tagged as critical security problem for present and upcoming generations with the passage of time. It is now predicted that these climate changes will increase the risk of violent conflict. Climate change is not only affectingRead MoreIs Global Climate Man Made?1491 Words   |  6 Pagesaccelerating the process of global climate change. Scientists have provided solid evidence of global climate change by humans in multiple studies, but others believe that climate change is caused solely by nature and the naturalness of the Earth’s cycle. Whether such evidences are providing valid proof to our society has become a serious matter for public debate. According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA, over 97% of climate scientists agree that global warmingRead MoreRelating Chemical Systems and Equilibrium to Technology, Society, and Environmental743 Words   |  3 Pageshurricanes and tornadoes Is the carbon cycle involved? Recent scientific evidence indicates that humans have upset the carbon cycle, leaving more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, burning biomass such as ethanol and wood, creating cement and releasing other chemicals into the atmosphere is upsetting the natural flow of carbon. Greenhouse gases in our atmosphere act almost like a blanket between the earth and frigid space. At lowerRead MoreEnvironmental Ethics And Environmental History1379 Words   |  6 Pagesworld s ever increasing increasing wants Stewardship worldview, this view states that we have a responsibility to take care of the earth and that we should use earth s resources for our benefit Environmental wisdom worldview, this view is for the belief that everyone completely depends on nature and that earth is here for every species, man should care for his earth Environmental justice-movement,this view’s issues revolve around equality Aldo Leopold’s writings produce most of these views Leopold