Iran

Question 1

A type of nondemocratic regime in which a religious elite dominates the regime

Answer 1

Theocracy

Question 2

The main spiritual text of Islam which all law and politics are expected to flow from in Iran

Answer 2

Koran

Question 3

This is the main language spoken by Iranians which is closer to English and other European languages

Answer 3

Farsi

Question 4

The strain of Islam that is practiced by Iran and makes up about 10 to 15 percent of the global Islamic population

Answer 4

Shiism

Question 5

The name of Iran until 1935 as it was historically the ethnic group that migrated to live there.

Answer 5

Persia

Question 6

These are the descendants of the prophet Muhhamed who are the true leaders of faith according to Shiism. This belief is the main difference between Shiism and Sunni

Answer 6

Imams

Question 7

These are the higher clergy cultivated within Shiism’s religious leaders by the Safavids (or ulema)

Answer 7

Ayatollahs

Question 8

The word used to describe “religious rulings”

Answer 8

Fatwa

Question 9

This is the event in 1906 in which religious leaders, intellectuals, and members of the merchant class protested in favor of limitations on the power of the Qajar monarchy

Answer 9

Constitutional Revolution

Question 10

The country’s first legislative body which was a direct result of the constitutional revolution

Answer 10

Majlis

Question 11

He was born into a poor family and quickly moved up the military ranks and consolidated his rule. He dramatically westernized the country and many see him as a British puppet even to this day

Answer 11

Reza Khan/Rezah Shah Pahlavi

Question 12

During WWII the UK and Russia were scared of Reza Shah’s friendly relations with Germany and so he was forced to step down and give the thrown to his son, ______, and go into exile.

Answer 12

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Question 13

The next prime minister after Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who advocated for nationalization and represented the National Front, a republican party that favored reducing the power of the monarchy or eliminating it all altogether. nationalization in 1951 provoked British anger and led to the withdrawal of Britain’s technical support in industries such as oil

Answer 13

Mohammad Mosaddeq

Question 14

The powerful secret police

Answer 14

SAVAK

Question 15

A successful covert program run by the United States and the United Kingdom with the Shah’s support that wanted to overthrow Mosaddeq

Answer 15

Operation Ajax

Question 16

The author of the book Islamic Government: The Governance of the Jurist. In this work, he argued that Islamic government should be constructed around the concept of velayat-e faqih

Answer 16

Ayatollah Khomeini

Question 17

The word for clerical rule in which the government would be led by a clergy trained in Islamic jurisprudence following the political system first established by the prophet Muhammad

Answer 17

velayat-e faqih

Question 18

What the last of the imams are known as, meaning guided one. Under the concept of velayat-e faqih the clergy would serve as these until they one day returned

Answer 18

Mahdi

Question 19

A religious leader with expertise in Islamic law who would have supreme political authority under Khomeini

Answer 19

Faqih

Question 20

A revolution sparked by the worsening of irans economy during the mid 1970s that lasted until late 1978 when the Shah lost power

Answer 20

Iranian Revolution

Question 21

when student radicals seized control of the U.S. embassy and held much of its staff hostage for more than a year

Answer 21

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Question 22

Saddam Hussein perceived the Iranian revolution as a threat to his own power and saw irans chaos as a means of extending his own power. In september 1980 iraq launched a full scale invasion of iran which was the beggining of this war that lasted until 1988.

Answer 22

Iran-Iraq War

Question 23

Iraq’s authoritarian leader who iran fought against in the Iran-Iraq war

Answer 23

Saddam Hussein

Question 24

The iranian leader after Ayatollah Khomeini dies from 1989 until 1997

Answer 24

Ayatollah Khamenei

Question 25

The president of iran before the current president (2005-13)

Answer 25

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Question 26

The current president elected in 2013

Answer 26

Hassan Rouhani

Question 27

Explain some seeds of anti-Western resentment in modern Iran. Be SURE to discuss both British and American interventions.

Answer 27

There are many causes of anti-western resentment in modern Iran. First off, the british supported the oppressive Shah regime for years by providing extensive military and financial support to his regime allowing the Shah to maintain power by repressing the public. During the Iran-Iraq War, Western powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, gave a lot of support (especially military support) to Saddam Hussein. This caused Iranians to perceive Western powers as siding with their enemy.

Question 28

What were some of the modernization/pro Western steps taken by Rezah Shah Pahlavi and his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi?

Answer 28

Reza Shah Pahlavi built a modern education system, infrastructure development projects such as roads and railways as well as many state-owned businesses. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi continued by pursuing closer ties with Western powers, especially the United States. Under his rule, Iran had rapid economic growth that was fueled by the West. he also made land, education, and healthcare reforms.

Question 29

How did both internal steps by some Iranian governments, in addition to external meddling by foreign powers, both contribute to the radicalization of the 1979 Iranian Revolution?

Answer 29

The authoritarian rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi led to discontent among Iranian society. The Westernization policies pursued by the Pahlavi regime led to the erosion of traditional Iranian cultural identity causing many Iranians to feel disconnected from their cultural heritage.

Question 30

How is Iran’s political system “quite unlike any other?”

Answer 30

Iran’s political system is quite unlike any other. This is because it has a mixture of institutions that seek to balance popular rights with the word of God. it seeks to give people some rights while still undecidedly being a theocracy.

Question 31

A system of executive branch in which the power is divided between two offices. In most cases, there is a head of state that reigns and a head of government that rules, but Iran does not follow this pattern.

Answer 31

Dual Executive

Question 32

a position created for Khomeini following the revolution as an expression of his charismatic power and political ideology which is the most powerful office in Iran. many of this position’s powers are not formally vested instead they are derived from practices under Khomeini. These powers are: commander in chief of armed forces and control over guardian council

Answer 32

Supreme Leader

Question 33

This position is directly elected and can only serve two four-year terms. His responsibilities are: drafting state budget, initiating legislation, and selecting a cabinet of ministers. He is unable to veto legislation however and he cannot dissolve the legislature or call for elections.

Answer 33

President

Question 34

System of Islamic Law that is based off of god – god’s law

Answer 34

Sharia

Question 35

This governmental institution has 12 individuals who serve six-year phased terms. Six are lawyers and six are clerics. It has significant powers, one of which is the power to review all legislation that derives from the Majlis to ensure “its compatibility with the criteria of Islam and the Constitution.”

Answer 35

Guardian Council

Question 36

This is the body that elects supreme leaders and, according to the constitution, can remove the supreme leader if he doesn’t do his constitutional duties. The 88 members are all male Islamic scholars

Answer 36

Assembly of Experts

Question 37

The Iranian legislature/parliament which is a unicameral body with directly elected members.

Answer 37

Majlis

Question 38

A single person whose qualifications include an understanding of Sharia. This position is appointed by the supreme leader and serves a five-year term. He manages judicial institutions and oversees the appointment and removal of judges.

Answer 38

Chief Justice

Question 39

This is the highest court of appeal. It is entirely staffed by high-ranking clerics with knowledge of Sharia

Answer 39

Supreme Court

Question 40

These are leftovers of the post-revolutionary period. They deal with cases involving national security.

Answer 40

Revolutionary Courts

Question 41

A paramilitary force that emerged from the 1997 revolution. It has a lot of history and has changed over the years. It has its own ministry, army, navy, and air force as well as some level of participation in Iran’s nuclear program.

Answer 41

Revolutionary Guard

Question 42

Also known as the People’s Militia. It is comprised of volunteers who were poorly trained and ill-equipped but were imbued with religious and nationalist fervor.

Answer 42

Basij

Question 43

The name one critical Iranian scholar of the era used to describe western materialism

Answer 43

Westoxication

Question 44

A name for charitable foundations to (ostensibly) help the disadvantaged which ended up being a money siphon for the people

Answer 44

Bonyads