The Contemporary History of Iran - Part 25: “The Impact of Mossadegh”

“The Impact of Mossadegh” - Part 25 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. In the view of some, the coup of 1953 not only undermined Iran’s first democratically elected government but set a course for events and autocratic rule that would lead to a popular revolution that would end the monarchy and result in the formation of a theocracy - only 25 years later. But what led to the overthrow of a popular Prime Minister in the 1950s? Was it, indeed, a coup? And how long was this coup in the planning? Renowned Iranian-American scholar and author, Dr. Ervand Abrahamian, author of the new book, “Oil Crisis in Iran: From Nationalism to Coup D'état,” joins Jian Ghomeshi from New York to discuss new evidence that shows that in the early 1950s, the United States set out to systematically meddle in Iranian domestic affairs to overthrow Mohammad Mossadegh. And that this was not something sudden or reflexive, but long-orchestrated involving bribes, psychological warfare, an economic embargo, and fear-mongering. It is clear that the impact of the actions of the nationalist Prime Minister created too much concern for the West and those in power in the United States - and the contention was that he had to be stopped.