People In Iran example essay topic

Iran - Before and After the Revolution The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known as Iran or Persia, was crowded with a young generation looking for full freedom against the Shah. Persia, once as a powerful country with vast oil resources, soon became a vulnerable nation, ready to accept a new leader to guide them. The people were ready for change, but were the changes they got the changes they were looking for. The people wanted freedom against the shah, (For generations Iran was ruled by Kings) who allowed some freedoms, but it was somewhat limited.

The people wanted freedom of speech, so that the press could freely publish their own opinions. They wanted to get rid of a law that made all eighteen-year-old males attend two years of military service unless they are accepted to a university, which would allow them attend the army later as a service worker. The shah was anti-religious, which was not ideal for many of the civilians in Iran. Savak (Secret organization of Iran) was accused of many anti - human rights actions, such as killing students who protested and immediately jailing press members for inappropriate conduct. A major problem was that the shah was a "puppet" of the United States many say, because the Shah would constantly confer with the U.S. of all of his decisions as ruler.

The after affects of the revolution resulted in similar conditions, however. Human rights are horrible, the government limits all freedoms, the economy has suffered greatly, average salaries are hard to live with, most of the educated people in Iran fled to foreign countries, the quality of public schools is horrible, and the government still controls all television broadcasts and keeps a watchful eye on the newspapers. From bad to worse is what many people feel has become of Iran, but the people are ready for a real change. Iran was a country ruled by the Shah (King), who began his rule in the beginning of the 1950's. He would help Iran greatly improve conditions. He began to improve relations with the United States securing oil deposits throughout Iran with American companies.

However, the shah slowly became more and more dependent on the United States. He began asking the United States for advice on almost every decision he made. Although no such reports were printed in the United States (to my knowledge) there are sources, which lived in Iran and experienced all of this first hand that have released information on all of this. The Shah soon began experiencing difficulties with uprisings amongst the people and soon his downfall would begin. Regardless of the stir-ups in Iran, oil prices rocketed at one point and the Iranian economy was booming in the seventies making a small number of people in Iran very rich. The problem was that many people still remained in poverty which sparked up even more small uprisings.

In response to this the Shah used about one hundred and forty million dollars to improve schools and passed a law giving land to poor farmers throughout Iran. His attempts were useless, as many students or the young generation of adults began demanding more freedom and less dependence on the United States. The people also wanted a government more involved with religion, which the shah completely disregarded. Basically, the Shah wanted to westernize his country so quickly, which removed his attention from the people's needs. Soon, however, the Shah had to do something to scare the people. As more and more protests began to occur, the Shah organized Savak (Iranian Secret Service), which began killing the students and jailing many others.

Many consider that the CIA and the Intelligence service of England were responsible for the training of Savak members, which only angered the civilians of, Iran even more. The duties of Savak included preventing uprisings and taking care of any that took place. Many students began fearing for their lives. From sources in Iran, it was said that any little negative comment towards the Shah resulted in immediate punishment by the Savak.

They killed many, deported others, jailed some, and made the lives of many families a living hell. This organization was another huge factor that pushed the Iranians over the edge, increasing the essentiality of freedom more than ever. The other reason that Iranians were sick of the Shah was because of his dependency on the United States for advice. There is nothing wrong with countries consulting each other for advice on certain issues, however the Shah was asking the United States what to do about every little thing. The people felt that the Shah was incapable of making a good decision on his own, which made people wonder if this man should be the leader of their country. The shah would ask about what to do with government, the economy, and even at one point if he should kill the civilians protesting in Iran.

Although this may sound completely negative, the United States helped Iran in many ways as well. Militarily they helped Iran develop to prevent threats from Iraq, economically they helped Iran construct oil platforms and refineries, and they helped with many other things. Even though Iran's oil was a major reason the United States assisted Iran for so many years, the United States was also an important factor of keeping Iran a powerful nation for so many years. This was the reason civilians were pushed to the revolution as well. People were now ready to fight for what they believed in. The people of Iran began demanding the Shah change, and they were now willing to lose their lives, for everything they wanted.

They began spreading the word and taking a stand against the Shah. More and more people joined the war against the Shah and by the late nineteen-seventies, Iran was virtually in a civil war. People began bombarding the streets all over Iran and many of the two-year soldiers walked away from the army to join in the fight for freedom. At this point the revolution was going great for the people.

Finally the Shah was forced to leave to the United States, which triggered celebrations of victory throughout Iran. The Iranians then brought religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini to lead them into a new government. With the Shah passing away, Iran was now being led into a completely new government under supreme guide Ayatollah Khomeini and under President Ali Khamenei. The government was corrupt, because everything was being done from scratch and with Iraq invading Iran everyone was covered by mixed feelings.

Iran now being officially referred to as the Islamic Republic of Iran, gave many freedoms that the people had wanted and the basis of government they were looking for. Religion, freedom, and a country not at all reliant on the United States. In fact hatred had developed between the two countries, which resulted in the hostage crises, where the U.S. embassy was attacked. However, the people had won and they were living under a government they now appreciated.

Soon, however after the ten minutes of glory the people enjoyed the new "Islamic" government began the crackdown on the opposition groups in Iran. With the war going on they could capture the revolutionaries and most were killed and jailed. The fact was that the newly established government of clerics in Iran wanted a completely strict government based entirely on the laws of religion. Slowly all freedoms were taken away and everything was put under strict laws to precisely follow the Koran.

The Ayatollah and his council even began interpreting parts of the Koran in their own ridiculous views, which make their versions seem inaccurate compared to what most Muslims believe in. By the time Ayatollah Khomeini had passed away, the entire process was pretty much in full affect. Iranians were once again miserable, but too tired for another revolution. By the time the Iran-Iraq war was over, millions had died or been wounded from the revolution and war. Iran was now in a state of misery, because of all the death and a collapsed economy.

People had much less freedom than before the revolution, but they were too tired to do anything about it. The people had no freedom of speech, in fact if any slander against the government or government leader was heard then that would result in immediate punishment, which was sometimes death. The strict policies went for everyone, which in many views went against what Islam was all about. However, with Ali Khamenei in charge and being inflexible as ever, they could only live with their new hardships. All television programming in Iran was now under government control. The newspapers were extremely restricted to what they were permitted to publish and recent violations have resulted in lifetime jailing or death.

The women are now forced to wear the hijab required by Islam, which makes woman cover up their entire body and hair. Unemployment was and still is at all time highs making it very difficult to live off one salary. The young adults were still required to serve two-year terms in the military. It would seem the Iranians just got themselves into a much bigger mess than ever imagined.

The Islamic Republic of Iran was now in supreme control. There was nobody willing to go against it and anybody who had the nerves to say anything was immediately killed. Now this is a religious government, which is punishing death to so many people. However in the Koran it never once states, anybody who says something against someone else should be killed. What the Islamic Republic is doing goes against everything Islam stands for. They are making a mockery of one of the greatest religions in the world.

However, if anybody said this to them, the person would immediately be killed. If this makes any sense what-so-ever besides protecting their own position as dominant leaders, this world must be coming to an end. As a result, the people of Iran are now in a horrible state of mind. It seems clear now that Iranians believed they could get something better out of what they had, and for a short time they did, but unfortunately for them it didn't last long at all.

In fact things got much worse for them. Today they are living under a strict dictatorship, which in many peoples opinion, is concerned only with nuclear weapons and maintaining order in their country. However, new signs from the latest generation of college students are beginning to show unrest. Just recently college students rallied through the streets in Iran, demanding changes immediately. The result, many were wounded and killed and the entire college dormitory was burned down.

Such immoral actions taken by the government is ridiculous. Although the current president Ali Khatami is trying to slowly give Iran freedoms, the supreme guide Ali Khamenei still has the highest power and he is not allowing for any of it. So as many see change coming soon, but things have only gotten worse for the people who fought so hard, so that their families and everyone could enjoy freedom as many have in democracies. One day the people will revolt again, because the new generation will not stand for this and one day many hope a new democracy will flourish in Iran.

Iran has been a nation in trouble for so long now. People fought so hard and died for their integrity so that everyone else could be happy, but it was all a waste. What good is dying, when your death results in something completely opposite of your beliefs? People in Iran absolutely hate this government and the protests in Washington D.C. show that people are ready for a real change this time. Officers in Iran are confronting women for showing a little bit of hair from the head or wearing too much make-up, something women are sick of hearing.

Couples are not permitted to date before marriage. If you are young and get caught with a man / woman you will be taken to the city jail. Many newspapers are being shut down, because of certain remarks about the Iranian government. This seems extremely harsh and with the recent burning of the entire college campus, people are in rage. Also a recent comment by Ayatollah Khomeini states that " I am perfect, otherwise I wouldn't be making all the right decisions". This just bursts the lid on many, because obviously no human is perfect.

The beginning of the end is near for this so called democracy in Iran. Hopefully a compromise can be made before anymore lives are lost.

Bibliography

IRAN TIMES: Newspaper published in Washington D.C. Various Articles Used: Nov 23, 1999 - Dec 18,199 - Feb 6, 2000 TBS: DOCUMENTARY: IRAN SINCE REVOLUTION (Not sure of exact title) 1999 ENCARTA ENCYCLOPEDIA 1997: IRAN.