Page 108 - ABCTE Study Guide_Neat

Question

What was one of the reasons for the 1980 Iran-Iraq War?

Worldwide desire for Iran to be assimilated into surrounding countries, destroying
A
chances for autonomous rule

B Assassination of Ayatollah Khomeini triggering alliances around the world

Worldwide concern for the tenuous balance of alliances within the Muslim world
C
being disrupted by the Iranian Revolution

Worldwide misunderstanding of important discussions between Ayatollah Khomeini
D
and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Answer

Answer C is correct. The Iran-Iraq War was backed by countries around the world concerned for the
delicate political, economic, and religious situation in the Middle East.

Many territories in the Middle Eastern region suffered political vulnerability due to a wealth of natural
resources. In 1990 Iraq invaded the small nation of Kuwait for its oil, which kicked off a war that lasted
seven months and terminated in mass arson of oil wells that cost over five billion U.S. dollars to fix.
Terrorism asserted itself as a force in the Middle East, affecting geopolitical climates the world
over. Afghanistan, having had its last period of stability from 1933 to 1973, was invaded by the Soviets in
1979. Afghanistan became a communist country, which led theUnited States, Pakistan, and other
countries to fund antigovernment forces. This financial assistance led to the end of communist rule in
1989.

There was no shortage of conflict throughout the world in the twentieth century. Armed conflict between
the former Yugoslav republics in the early 1990s beset the Balkan Peninsula. Factionalism within Islam
plagued the African country of Sudan. Gulfs between established social classes in Rwanda and Sri
Lanka led to decades of fighting. The state of Kashmir, situated directly at the crossfire point of
aggression between India and Pakistan, was torn by sporadic conflict during the latter half of the century.

Review

• The Industrial Revolution originated in Great Britain in the late eighteenth century.

• In World War I, the Triple Entente forces were Great Britain, France, and Russia.

• The Zimmermann telegram was one factor in the U.S. decision to join World War I.

• Hitler violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact by invading the Soviet Union in 1941.

• In World War II, the Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan.

• Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong were two major figures in the Chinese civil war.