Deck 14: Democracy and Authoritarianism: Turkey and Iran

Question 1

In 1945 both Iran and Turkey were confronted with threats to their sovereignty by __________________.

A) Israel
B) Britain
C) the Soviet Union
D) the United States

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What instance of Soviet expansionism led to an offer of US financial and military assistance to Turkey in 1945?

A) Moscow made claims on Turkish territory in eastern Anatolia
B) Moscow demanded a greater share in governing and policing the Turkish Straits
C) Moscow tried to conquer Istanbul, a city along Turkish Straits
D) Moscow both made claims on Turkish territory in eastern Anatolia and demanded a great share in governing and policing the Turkish Straits

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What did President Inönü do to address the discontent among the business sector, peasantry, intellectual, and political classes in Turkish society in the 1940s?

A) He stepped down as president
B) He permitted greater freedom of expression in political dissent
C) He used military force to quell the dissenting voices in Turkish society
D) He abolished the single political party in Turkey, the Republican People's Party

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is true of the Democratic Party's actions in Turkey from 1950 to 1960?

A) The Democratic Party introduced stronger secular legislation
B) The Democratic Party expanded the outlets for peaceful criticism
C) The Democratic Party was hawkish and eager to return Turkey to a war within Europe
D) The Democratic Party capitalized on spiritual poverty contextualized by growing economic poverty

Question 5

The coup d'état of 1960 was lead by a military general and was carried out for the purpose of

A) reclaiming Turkey for the Republican People's Party
B) preserving the principles of Kemalism from which the Democratic Party-led government had strayed
C) establishing permanent military rule
D) merging the military with politics and creating an authoritarian state

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true of Muhammad Mosaddiq?

A) He was strongly opposed to foreign interference within Iran
B) He was a strong supporter of the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry
C) He was a member of the Iranian assembly (Majlis)
D) As prime minister, he developed a close relationship with the United States.

Question 7

Which leader did the CIA help to overthrow?

A) Reza Shah
B) Muhammad Reza Shah
C) Muhammad Mosaddiq
D) President Inönü

Question 8

Iran's 1963 White Revolution refers to _____________.

A) Ayatollah Khomeini's triumphant return from exile
B) the shah's reform proposals
C) retribution for CIA interference within Iran
D) the calls to nationalize Iranian oil

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true about the White Revolution?

A) It consisted of a twelve-point program for reform
B) It included the establishment of the literary corps as a means to reduce rural illiteracy
C) It further restricted education and employment opportunities for women
D) It promoted land reform

Question 10

Which of the following is true of Turkey's foreign policy outlook following the Cyprus question?

A) Turkey strengthened its diplomatic relationships with other countries, including the Soviet Union
B) Turkey strengthened its diplomatic relationship with the United States
C) Turkish foreign policy became isolationist in nature
D) Turkey recognized Greece as its greatest ally in the region

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the Truman Doctrine?

A) An American doctrine discouraging the Western European powers from further interference in the Middle East
B) An American doctrine designed to prevent Soviet expansion
C) An American doctrine pledging the support of the United States to Israel in the eventuality of threats to its sovereignty
D) An American doctrine pressuring American allies to assume greater responsibility for their own military defenses

Question 12

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the Turkish Democratic Party's policies in the 1950s?

A) The party focused on decreasing the role of the state in the economy
B) The party focused on improving the conditions of Turkish peasants
C) The party introduced strict secularization measures
D) The party introduced a series of repressive measures to allow it to censor the press

Question 13

Which of the following groups did NOT participate in Iran's National Front?

A) The ulama
B) Western-educated professionals
C) The military
D) All of these groups participated

Question 14

Which of the following most accurately describes SAVAK?

A) Israel's external intelligence organization established in 1949
B) The military coalition in Turkey led by General Cemal Gürsel
C) Iran's internal security organization established with US and Israeli assistance
D) The codename for the CIA operation to overthrow Muhammad Mosaddiq in 1953

Question 15

Which of the following led to the 1980 coup d'état in Turkey?

A) The increased activity of Kurdish separatists
B) The incumbent military's government exercise of excessive power
C) The rise of Islamic revivalism led by the National Salvation Party
D) Both the Kurdish separatists' increased activity and the rise of Islamic revivalism

Question 16

Which of the following accurately defines the "marriage of inconvenience" led by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in the 1970s?

A) Coalition government formed between the Republicans and the National Salvation Party
B) Coalition government formed between the Republicans and the Justice Party
C) Alliance between the military and the Republicans
D) Alliance between the military and the Justice Party

Question 17

Which of the following led to entrenchment of both the extreme Right and Left in Turkey and thus polarization of the civil service during the 1970s?

A) Both of the mainstream parties, Republican and Justice, granted excessive favors to the minority parties in order to attract them as coalition partners
B) Rising dissatisfaction among both major parties with secularism
C) Fear within the government of another military coup
D) All of these led to polarization of the civil service

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT true of the Cyprus Question?

A) The dispute remains an unresolved source of tension between Turkey and Greece today
B) Turkey initially hesitated to intervene because of US pressure
C) The UN sent a force in to patrol a neutral zone in 1964
D) In 1974, Turkish military forces on Cyprus staged a coup that overthrew President Makarios

Question 19

Which of the following statements best describes similarities between the Turkish and Iranian militaries between the 1950s and 1970s?

A) Both were funded by increasing oil wealth during this period
B) Both regularly found themselves at odds with religiously devoted factions of their respective societies
C) Both sought Westernization of their respective societies
D) None of these answers is correct

Question 20

Which of the following statements most accurately describes Turkey's military between the 1950s and 1970s?

A) The coups it staged reflected the authoritarian nature of politics in Turkey
B) It intervened in Turkey's domestic affairs in a similar manner to that of Iranian military during the shah's dictatorial rule
C) The military sought to stabilize politics in Turkey, not to gain power
D) All of these statements accurately describe Turkey's military during this time period

Question 21

The peaceful transition of power from Turkey's Republican People's Party-the party of Ataturk-and the Democratic Party occurred in 1950, only four years after the Democratic Party was founded.

Question 22

The Democratic Party of Turkey introduced a number of religious reforms, including lifting the ban on the call to prayer that, under Ataturk, could be given in Turkish, but not Arabic.

Question 23

The Tudeh Party was composed primarily of capitalist businessmen.

Question 24

Due to the economic hardships created by the international boycott of Iranian oil after the passing of the nationalization legislation, Prime Minister Mosaddiq compromised on the issue and returned to diplomatic relations with Britain.

Question 25

In the 1970s, the United States encouraged Muhammed Reza Shah Pahlavi to use Iran's oil wealth to acquire advanced weapons, including tanks, helicopter gunships, and other non-nuclear weaponry.

Question 26

In accordance with its cold war policy of containing the Soviet Union, the United States provided economic and military aid to the Soviet Union's immediate neighbors, Turkey and __________________.

Question 27

The __________________ Doctrine of 1947 was based on the belief that unless the United States intervened, the Soviet Union was likely to gain control of Greece and Turkey, and subsequently spread its Communist influence throughout the Middle East.

Question 28

Within a coalition called the __________________, groups as diverse as the ulama and Western-educated professionals came together through their common opposition to foreign influence and unchecked royal authority in Iran.

Question 29

The shah's proposals for reform were announced in 1963 as the __________________, a name meant to imply "reform without bloodshed."

Question 30

In the 1960s, the foreign presence in Turkey was largely __________________ and included some 20,000 military and civilian personnel.

Question 31

Describe the Cold War perspective within US foreign policy and how events between the Soviet Union and Iran contributed to that view.

Question 32

Describe the rise to power experienced by the Democratic Party in Turkey.

Question 33

What issues brought the Turkish military-in particular, the High Command-into the political arena?

Question 34

Why did Iranians view the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company as merely another manifestation of British influence in their country?

Question 35

How did the shah attempt to prevent the emergence of organized opposition?

Question 36

How did the 1964 Cyprus crisis affect Turkish-American relations?

Question 37

What factors help account for the incredible popularity of Muhammad Mosaddiq?

Question 38

How well does Muhammed Reza Shah's assertion "I am the army" encapsulate his post-1963 policies?

Question 39

Briefly describe the effects that Turkey's transition from a traditional agricultural economy to a mixed economy between the 1950s and 1970s had on the country's political system.

Question 40

What effects did the AIOC's call for an international boycott against Iranian oil have on the Iranian government?

Question 41

In what way can Muhammad Reza Shah's reforms during the White Revolution be described as "contradictory"? How did the Iranian people react to this contradiction?

Question 42

Between 1923 and 1950 Turkey experienced an era of stability during which Kemalism was embedded in the national consciousness. How did this period of stability affect the way in which Turkey dealt with subsequent political crises? Compare and contrast its experiences confronting political crises in this period with Iran.