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| Plot Summary of Overthrow |
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"In 1953, the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated a coup d'etat that toppled the democratically elected government of Iran. The government of Mohammad Mossadegh. The aftershocks of the coup are still being felt. In 1951 Prime Minister Mossadegh roused Britain's ire when he nationalized the oil industry. Mossadegh argued that Iran should begin profiting from its vast oil reserves which had been exclusively controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The company later became known as British Petroleum (BP). After considering military action, Britain opted for a coup d'état. President Harry Truman rejected the idea, but when Dwight Eisenhower took over the White House, he ordered the CIA to embark on one of its first covert operations against a foreign government. The coup was led by an agent named Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt. The CIA leaned on a young, insecure Shah to issue a decree dismissing Mossadegh as prime minister. Kermit Roosevelt had help from Norman Schwarzkopf's father: Norman Schwarzkopf.
The CIA and the British helped to undermine Mossadegh's government through bribery, libel, and orchestrated riots. Agents posing as communists threatened religious leaders, while the US ambassador lied to the prime minister about alleged attacks on American nationals. Some 300 people died in firefights in the streets of Tehran. mossadegh was overthrown, sentenced to three years in prison followed by house arrest for life.
The crushing of Iran's first democratic government ushered in more than two decades of dictatorship under the Shah, who relied heavily on US aid and arms. The anti-American backlash that toppled the Shah in 1979 shook the whole region.
After the 1979 revolution President Jimmy Carter allowed the deposed Shah into the U.S. Fearing the Shah would be sent back to take over Iran as he had been in 1953, Iranian militants took over the U.S. embassy - where the 1953 coup was staged - and held hundreds hostage
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Roy Snyder, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Overthrow |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- 1950's
History of cloak & dagger?
Yes
Nationality?
- Arabia
Players:
- CIA
Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
From a certain profession/group?
- politicians
Intelligence of subject of
history:
- Smart
Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group?
- government investigators
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- almost none
Ethnicity? (if plays big part)
- White/European
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
Setting
United States
Yes
Style
How much gore?
- 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book?
- 4 ()
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel...
- very happy
Historical short story collection?
Yes
Minor characters feature lots of:
- spies
Length of book
- 300-350 pages
How much emphasis on small details?
- 7 ()
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Click here for more information about this book
Stephen Kinzer Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Roy Snyder
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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