Iran and Algeria: Same Vibration

SKIM the thesis, timeline, and SPECS table of the three other revolutionary groups. CHOOSE one of the revolutions and WRITE a comparison between it and the revolution you researched in class. POST this paragraph to the blog with the LABEL: Your first name, late 20th revs - 3

The Iranian Revolution and the Algerian Revolution had about the same amount of success: almost none. While the two revolutions differed in many ways, the outcomes were very similar, both literally and on a more analytical level.
While the Algerians were rebelling against their French colonizers, and the Iranians were rebelling against people of the same original nationality, both countries went from a Westernized government to a government controlled in some part by Islamic groups. In both cases, power changed hands many times, making the government very inconsistent and unstable. In Iran, people still fear the government to the point of completely losing hope. In Algeria, there has relatively recently been very large amounts of violence, so everything is still in turmoil.
Perhaps one of the largest indicators of failure is the collapse of both countries' economies. While an economic failure may seems small compared to massacres and violence, it can have much more devastating long-term effects. In Algeria, people are trying to escape their failed economy, only to be sent back home by their government. Violence can change governments very quickly, but a bad economy can ruin even the best.

Hungary vs. Algeria

Both of these revolutions saw massive protests and other forms of uprisings against the government, who were both from another country. In Algeria, there were many boycotts against the French government, and in Hungary, there were huge protests against the Soviet puppet government. Also, the revolutions could both be considered failures. Though the Hungarian revolution worked for a few days, in the long run, Soviet troops did not leave Hungary until more than 30 years later. The Algerians were obliterated by the French and never really experienced much success in their respective revolutions. Clearly, both the Hungarian and Algerian revolutions have obvious connections.

Algeria and Iran

The Algerian Revolution and the Islamic Revolution in Iran were both ultimately unsuccessful because the governments that they created gave rise to political instability in a situation much like the one that the revolutions sought to free themselves from. After the Algerian Revolution, there was a constant struggle for power between political parties, and there still exists a huge divide between the French and the Algerians and Western culture and Islam. Similarly, Iran's Islamic Revolution produced a theocratic state and dictatorship, and people still live in constant fear of the government. In both revolutions, the idea of religion plays a huge role in determining the state of the new nation. In Algeria, the divide between religions makes it difficult to find unifying principles, and in Iran, the hopeful theocratic government slowly crumbled as the religion become intertwined with the declining political state. Although the Algerian revolution produced divisions within society that led to unrest, the Iranian Revolution seems to have created a tension between the government and its own people through ignorance of civil rights.

THAILAND AND HUNGARY

Thesis Thailand: This is not an example of a successful revolution because it will probably not have long term effects.
Thesis Hungary: The Hungarian revolution was only successful depending on what time zone you look at. The success of the revolution fluctuates depending on the political, social, and economic states of the country.

The states of these two countries, as well as the basises for their respective revolutions are very similar. Both countries are unhappy with their governments, leading them to revolt. In Thailand, the monarchy is being questioned which led the country to political instability. Similarly in Hungary, the right wing nationalism has started to grow even though it is not represented in their government. Since the people of the Hungary are supporting something different than their government, they too have political instability. These shared political instabilities have caused economic failure in both countries. In Hungary, lies about the economy made by political leaders have led to major inflation and the general failure of the system. Economic growth in Thailand have also been halted because of protests in the center of the city. Finally, both theses have the commonality of neither of their revolutions sticking. In both countries, the revolutions seem to have immediate effects. but neither of them will stay long term.

Thailand and Algeria? intertwined

The connections between Thailand and Algeria are pretty great because both have the fact that their governments are in in political instability, and when the two sides argue one side massacres the other. Thailand has political instability because ever since it was changed to a democracy in 1973 there have been battling sides to decide what style of government they want. Thailand has massacres such as in the case of the failed government crackdown that killed 25 people and also recently on May 13 a protester that was a general he was shot in the head during an interview, so that massacres seem to be going on without stop because they cannot decide on what they want their government to be like. Algeria is in political instability because it has been fighting against France for independence back in the 50's and in the 90's they had the FIS and the GIA trying to seize control of Algeria, and recently in2005 the president of the GIA was arrested, and the GIA was declared unstable. Algeria had massacres such as when they had to fight against France for their independence and also when they had the GIA in 1998 massacred 50 innocent civilians.

Algeria vs. Iran

The revolutions in Algeria and Iran are very similar. Both revolutions have resulted in a government strongly influenced by religion. Religious extremist groups seized power in both cases. Both have suffered economically since their respective revolutions and are still struggling with poverty. Both have been unhappy with the elections of past leaders, and feel that their was fraud involved in the process. Both post revolution governments have attacked their citizens resulting in large death tolls; they show brutal retaliation. Overall, both revolutions were unsuccessful and worsened the state of their countries.

Similar Outcomes Through Specs

Although the revolutions in Iran and Thailand occurred in different eras, they are similar in many ways. Thailand and Iran both had unsuccessful revolutions. Although I know little of the revolution in Thailand, the group's thesis stated that it would be unlikely if it had long term effects. Similar in Iran, the government that was established by the revolutionaries is no longer in place today. There are similarities and differences throughout the SPECS categories of each country. In the scientific category, both countries involve weapons. Although in Iran, the focus of our ideas was that Iran is building nuclear weapons for the future. In Thailand, guns were used to take over the government, and they are not planning on creating new weapons. Both countries economies went down the drain. The U.S. instituted economic sanctions in an already poor country, making the economy plummet. In Thailand, the poor economy was caused by protests. The revolutions in Iran and Thailand are more similar than they are different with likely similar outcomes.

Hungary vs. Algeria

The Hungarian and Algerian revolutions were very similar in that they were both revolting against something foriegn. They were both backlash towards a foreign country taking them over and neither seem to have ended in greater stability for the country. Although they both now have their countries in their own hands, their economies have drooped and there is still a lot of political instability. They have major inflation as a result of their political unrest. They faught for their countries to be released from foriegn powers, but when they finally got their power it dissolved into economic and political instability. Algeria is ripped apart by religion and racial differences, while Hungary uses the Roma as scapegoats and fights against far right extremist nationalism.

One major difference between them is the religious aspect of the revolutions. In Algeria there is a large emphasis on Islam whereas in Hungary the revolution was purely political. Islam is based in a theocracy, so when the country revolts the religion gets involved, whereas in Hungary religion stays tucked away to make room for purely politial instability.

Rebelutions

The Iranian and Algerian revolutions have many political and social similarities. Both revolutions include Islamic influences that caused tension and provoked internal violence.

In the Islamic Revolution, a revolution occurred to create a theocracy, or a religious based government. After gaining independence from France, Algeria went through several Islamist regimes, such as the FIS and the GIA (as mentioned in the timelines). Citizens were divided due t these regimes in both revolutions, which makes religious politics the root of both of these conflicts.

The circumstances in both revolutions show the strong correlation between the social, economic, and political aspects of a nation. When there are rapid political changes, the economy tends to plummet. When the economy plummets, citizens are unhappy and more likely to be driven to extremist groups and violence.

Iran vs. Algeria

SKIM the thesis, timeline, and SPECS table of the three other revolutionary groups. CHOOSE one of the revolutions and WRITE a comparison between it and the revolution you researched in class.

Thesis Iran: Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979 was unsuccessful because its theocratic state was not maintained over time and its people live in fear of the now dictator-led government.

Thesis Algeria: The Algerian Revolution was not a success. Prior to the revolution, there were social problems involving race between the colonists and the native Algerians. The revolution failed to solve this problem and resulted in another. Now, there was a religious divide among Algerians as well as a racial one, due to the political instability and the growth of the Islamic Salvation Front.

There were many differences and similarities between both of these "Revolutions". First, the Algerian riots began around 1988, when twenty years earlier during 1963, the Secret Police in Iran were already trying to control the riots. Also, the Algerian Revolution lasted for a shorter time period, 20 years, (1980's - early 2000's) and the Islamic Revolution lasted for about 30 years (1960's - late 1990's). The dates of the Revolutions were different, but both of the Revolutions were looked as a failure. The Islamic Revolution could not maintain a theocratic state and the Algerian Revolution could not solve the social problems. The SPECS for both Revolutions are very different in both areas. The SPECS for Algeria were mainly about economic problems and inflation. The SPECS for Iran were mainly about the government and how the common people disagree with the way the government is ran. The problems Algeria had to deal with are more social and economic, while Iran had to deal with their government and fighting against political "corruption". Overall, the Algerian and Islamic Revolution mainly had differences in the causes, but had the same outcome: failure.

Iranian and Thai Revolution Comparison

Protests rage in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Thailand and Iran, two countries that had revolutions in the 1970s, are back in the news again regarding political protests. Thailand is the big story nowadays because there are violent protests in the streets led by a group called the Red Shirts that represent the urban and rural poor. There are less stories about Iran but there are still protests about the disputed elections that occurred last summer. Both Iran and Thailand's original revolutions must have failed because 30 years later they're still in turmoil. 


So why exactly are these two countries still struggling for stability 3 decades after they revolted?


In Iran the economy was the root of their instability. Rasfanjani strengthened the theocratic republic but the country's economy faltered. With an economy so heavily centered around oil and a less than perfect government there was a lot of corruption and the wealth was not spread around. Nowadays the United States is also imposing economic sanctions on Iran which further deepens their economic problems. 


In Thailand I don't understand the underlying problem with their government but it seems like the couldn't figure out what type of government worked best for them. After a coup in 1932 the government became a constitutional monarchy then it became a democracy briefly before quickly becoming ruled by the military. In 1992 Thailand held democratic elections once again and now the government has violent protesters attacking them. All the political flip-flopping makes the people anxious and revolution much more tangible because protests are in their blood. 

Comparisons!!!!!!

Comparing the Iran Revolution to the Thailand Revolution

Thesis of Iran: Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 was unsuccessful because its theocratic state was not maintained over time and its people live in fear of the now dictator-led government.

Thesis of Thailand: This is not an example of a successful revolution because it will probably not have long term effects.

These revolutions are very similar for one main reason: they did not have lasting effects. The Islamic revolution led to a dictatorship in Iran, where citizens have little or no rights. In Thailand, there is still protesting, government crackdowns and political instability. Also, during and after both revolutions, the countries experienced a change in their forms of government. In Iran, the country went to theocracy, then to dictatorship. In Thailand, the country went from absolutism, to monarchy, then to democracy. Both governments are still unstable, and violence and protests are everyday occurrences.

Connections, Connections

Like the revolutions in Thailand, The Iranian revolution was unsuccessful because it was merely a demonstration that didn't make any long-term changes. Iran is led by a dictator, and while Thailand is technically a monarchy, its leadership has also become incredibly controlling and corrupt lately. Thailand's richest citizens are suddenly appearing influential in the political scene, pointing to a potentially rising anarchy. Both country's citizens now live in fear of the omnipotent power of the government, and have made very little leeway towards changing it.

One similarity between the revolts in these countries is the strategic way they are being advertised. The Thai protest that took place through April and May was located in the commercial center of the city, affecting Thailand's economy and industrial progress. This made the protest completely visible to all of Thaiwan and the surrounding countries that are engaged economically with Thaiwan. Similarly, Iranians are taking their revolution online with web comics and youtube videos advertising Iran's revolutions. Although they both took different approaches, the revolutionaries of both countries have the same goal: get the word out to as many people as possible by using a medium that might not typically be associated with revolution.

Both revolutions have also come into some form of contact with other countries. The U.S. is heavily involved in Iran, placing economic and military sanctions on the country. The protesters in Thaiwan have been contacted by many outside bodies, including the US, Britain, and France, who all begged them to stop protesting. Both revolutions are facing opposition not only from within their own country, but from other countries who are affected by Thai and Iranian economies.

From Thailand to Iran

The revolutions in Iran and Thailand have many similarities, perhaps because they are occurring in the same time period. First off, both are less made up of clandestine organized groups protesting against the standing government, but rather of normal civilians who take issue with corrupt rule. It might be because of this lack of organization that both revolutions have been unsuccessful - neither can make an actual stand against the government. In spite of this, Thailand has made it farther than Iran. In Iran people protested and were injured or incarcerated as a result. In Thailand, rallies and protests were held to the point that the government conceded to the demands of the people allowing for public election. Three days after this concession, however, a general who was allied with the protesters was shot in the head. So the Thai group might have made less progress than they would have previously thought. The two also have a similarity in the purpose of their protests; they rally for democracy and the removal of corruption from their system. Again, in this case, on group has a lead over the other in that the Iranians theoretically have democracy, but they don't believe that the results of their vote was carried out properly. The Thai on the other hand have several times won and lost democracy and cry for it still today.