Effects of Iranian Hostage Crisis - 1853 Words

How Has the Iranian Hostage Crisis Affected the United States? For most Americans, the story begins in 1979 with the Iranian Hostage Crisis, when a group of revolutionary university students took over the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran, and held 52 American diplomats, intelligence officers and Marines hostage for 444 days. But for most Iranians, and to fully understand the repercussions of this aforementioned event, the story begins almost three decades prior, in 1953. This was the year that the United States overthrew the recently established democracy in Iran, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. He had become very popular in the country for having the ambition to finally take advantage of the wealth that Iran needed to grow†¦show more content†¦However, at that time to the American people the crisis invoked a feeling of national inferiority; for one of the first times, the US had been manipulated by a foreign country and could do nothing about it. However, the Iranian Hostage Crisis proved to be more than just an embarrassment for the country. It’s evident 33 years later that the Iranian Hostage Crisis had other significant effects on the political environment of the United States, including the negative influence on the 1980 presidential election, complete destruction of diplomatic US- Iran relations, and the establishment of a precedent for foreign, anti-American terrorism as an effective strategy against the US. It’s debatable whether President Jimmy Carter would have won the election of 1980 if the Iranian Hostage Crisis never happened. However, even the most profound of historians know that the conflict with Iran did indeed spark the beginning of the Ronald Reagan era and put Jimmy Carter in company with only a select number of presidents to not be re-elected to a second term. President Carter’s inability to resolve the problem made him look like a weak and ineffectual leader. Perhaps the most demonstrative example of the president’s inadequacy was an ill-advised executiv e decision that he made in April of 1980, the same year of the election. With lagging and inauspicious diplomacy talks ongoing with Iran, Carter grew frustrated. Not backed by his most important advisors, the president made the call toShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of the Iranian Hostage Crisis1117 Words   |  5 Pages The Iranian hostage crisis was one of the most dramatic events in a series of problems that took place during President Jimmy Carter’s term. The crisis, beginning in November of 1979, received the most coverage of any major event since World War II. It was one of many problems faced in light of the United State’s complex relationship with Iran. The effects on both the US and Iran were astronomical, especially politically as well as economically and socially. It took a heavy toll on American relationsRead MoreThe Iranian Hostage Crisis And Its Effect On The United States1660 Words   |  7 PagesPlan of Investigation The purpose of this investigation is to answer the question on how did the Iranian Hostage Crisis affect the relationship between United States and Iran. The main body of evidence will observe in depth the Iranian and United States relations during the hostage crisis. Evidence of this investigation will include secondary documents and books pertaining to the hostage time in Iran and US foreign policy. Speeches from the US President to the American public and to the world willRead MoreKen Pollack Of The Brookings Institution1637 Words   |  7 Pagesconflict beginning in the late 1800s until 1980. The Iran Hostage crisis on November 4th, 1979, served as the defining event between the United States and Iranian relations through the constant struggle for control of power resulting in hostile diplomacy between the two countries. In the early 19th century, the United States and Iran established cordial political relations (Amies 22). During the early 1950s, a struggle for power in the Iranian government occurred between Shah Mohammad Reza PahlaviRead MoreTaken Hostage967 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Iranian Hostage Crisis The relationship between the American people and their government drastically changed in the 1970s. The people began to distrust their government after The Watergate Scandal, oil prices, and the falling economy. President Jimmy Carter, elected in 1976 was seen by the public as an honest man that was working for the people not for the evils of Washington DC. Carter, being an outsider, grew very popular with the American people. His lack of insider perspective became troublesomeRead MoreJimmy Carter and the Iranian Hostage Crisis Essay1297 Words   |  6 Pagesenters the history books for his role in rescuing 52 American citizens during the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979. The political unrest that led to the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 began the previous year when Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi’s rule turned into a near dictatorship. He used a secret police force called SAVAK to control anyone who opposed him and ensure that he stayed in power (â€Å"Iran-U.S. Hostage Crisis†). Because of the tense political situation, the U.S. military began airlifting itsRead MoreIranian Hostage Crisis 1617 Words   |  7 Pagesseveral thousand down to less than 100 (Bowden, 2006, p. 19). The U. S. Marines stationed at the embassy were given orders not to shoot, but they could and did use tear gas. When the staff realized what was going on, several had already been taken hostage and they retreated to the second floor secure room and third floor vault in the Chancery. There they continued to destroy sensitive documents and dispose of weapons fearing what the students may do if they find them. When the staff in the embassyRead MoreThe Revolution Of The United States1150 Words   |  5 Pageshad not planned to maintain control over the embassy and the hostages for too long. They had originally overrun the embassy to prove to the United States that they were not completely safe from the revolution and to prove a point that the Americans were no longer welcome. But the revolutionaries were forced to stay because â€Å"the American side now found itself without anyone in authority in Tehran with whom it could negotiate, and the Iranian side found itself captive of its own angry rhetoric and unableRead MoreThe Iranian Hostage Crisis Of 19791667 Words   |  7 PagesThe Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 was an event that profoundly impacted Western-Iranian relations, to the extent that its residual effects still linger today. Iran’s revolution of 1979 resulted in a regime change that saw U.S.-supported Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi toppled by the formerly-exiled Ayotollah Khomeini, who promptly instated a strongly anti-Wester n regime that established itself as ideologically in direct opposition to many Western values. This anti-Western, and particularly anti-AmericanRead MoreForeign Policy Has The Diplomatic Pendulum Swept So Wide An Arc Essay1078 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Iran Hostage Crisis, had its seeds planted during the Iranian Revolution when Reza Shah Pahlavi was deposed and offered refuge in the United States to treat his growing cancer. His deposition resulted from the people’s growing dissatisfaction with the Shah’s handling of the country, many calling it anti-Islamic (PBS). Only to make things worse, on November 4, 1979, a group of furious student Iranian revolutionaries invaded the U.S embassy in Tehran and took over 60 Americans hostage demandingRead MoreThe Political Influence Of The United States1565 Words   |  7 PagesIran hostage crisis occurred in 1979 when a United States embassy in Iran was taken over by a group of student protestors and the people inside were held hostage for 444 days. The United States’ responded politically by turning other nations against Iran, and economically by freezing Iran’s assets and limiting it’s ability to trade. The fallout from this incident can still be felt today and led to major changes in international policy, as well as media coverage. Prior to the Iran hostage crisis