The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict #41: 2 Eurovision Wins, One Peace Agreement, and Then The World Turns Upside Down - Part 1
1979
In retrospect, 1979 was a significant year in the world. Many dramatic events occurred that changed the global geopolitical map, and their impact is still felt to this day. Arab countries that gained independence from the League of Nations after being under Ottoman rule went through political upheavals and violated the delicate internal balances established after the world wars. The United States and the Soviet Union, then at the height of the Cold War, looked at these events through the same prism and did not fully understand the meaning of the moves, did not foresee how the events would unfold, and therefore did not anticipate the intensity of their escalation. Get ready to explore the most significant upheavals in the world as we count up, starting with the most significant revolution of the year.
In the first place - Iran
The most important event that opened the year 1979 was the Iranian Revolution, which transformed Iran from an autocratic, pro-Western, monarchical state under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into a totalitarian Islamic-theocratic republic under the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini. Jimmy Carter believed in freedom and equality and, therefore, put pressure on the Shah to maintain human rights. Savage's brutal repression brought the Shah into conflict with Carter, who was a true liberal. As a result of Western moves that led to the modernization and liberalization of Iran and following an economic crisis that resulted from rising inflation and a parallel wave of violent uprisings, the Shah lost his governmental grip and fled Iran. After his escape, his great opponent, Khomeini, returned to Iran, established his religious ruling grip, created for himself a new position of "supreme leader," and crowned his people as the head of the state for the rest of his life by crowning him as the spiritual leader of Iran. As an all-powerful leader, he murdered his opponents and also tens of thousands who were among the parties that united under his revolution messages but posed a risk as an opposition.
In The Second Place - Iraq?
That same year in Iraq, Saddam Hussein staged a quiet coup that forced President Ahmed al-Bakr to step down and set the stage for his authoritarian rule.?
In The Third Place - Pakistan?
In Pakistan, General Zia Al Haq carried out a military coup and killed Ali Bhutto, who was a socialist. Zia al-Haq was a devout Muslim and led a radical change in education, dismantling Western influences, which included the abolition of Western education, and Islam became the absolute religion, law, and education.
In The Fourth Place - Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the Salafists attempted a coup in protest of the westernization of Saudi Arabia. They called for a return to the ways of Islam, rejecting Western-American influence, abolition of television, and expulsion of non-Muslims. The Saudis were unable to take control of the rebellion, centered on control of Mecca after the rebels descended into the caves below the Grand Mosque. The ones who unleashed the pain were elite French fighters who entered Mecca despite being non-Muslim, but the official version was that the Pakistani commandos handled it. At the end of the battles, the rebels who were captured alive were executed by beheading. Here, too, the regime, after beheading the leaders of the rebels, took a step back and tightened Islamic religious supervision.
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In Fifth Place - Afghanistan?
In Afghanistan, a civil war broke out between communist factions, which led to secular reforms and agricultural changes. The communist factions were educated and trained as military personnel in the Soviet Union, but at the same time, the seeds of jihad began to take root and laid the foundations for later conflicts. The communists in power carried out reforms based on secularization and abolished rituals and prayers. Additionally, they led an agricultural reform and gave all the workers of the landowner a share in the farmers' land. However, they did not know how to economically and operationally manage agricultural land and lacked the necessary financial knowledge and manpower. The Communists destroyed a tradition of hundreds of years in which the head of the village who owned the land was the financing body. Without the missing knowledge, they would not have been able to exist financially and, above all, not preserve the tradition that included family events and memorial events, which destroyed them socially and culturally.
In Sixth Place - China?
That year in China, Mao's death marked the end of an era. The cultural war ended, and the gang of four, including his wife, ended their lives in prison. Deng Xiaoping, who was imprisoned and tortured in prison, seized power. The rise of Deng Xiaoping marked the end of the era of communism and the breakdown of classes in China, which led to economic reforms. The official agreement between the United States and China marked a new chapter in Sino-American relations, and the normalization of these relations played a decisive role in world politics.
Stay tuned for more on how the world turned upside down in 1979 as we continue the historical review tomorrow.
That's all for today, class. We'll continue tomorrow.
Take care.