Communism In Iran

Socialism in Iran, or Iranian socialism, is a political ideology that originated in the 20th century and is represented by various political parties within the country. Iran briefly experienced a period of Third World socialism at the height of the Tudeh Party, following the abdication of Reza Shah and the ascension of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. However, the Tudeh Party never rose to power. After failing to seize power, this form of Third World socialism was replaced by Mohammad Mosaddegh's populist, non-aligned Iranian nationalism, represented by the National Front party. This movement became the main anti-monarchy force in Iran, briefly reaching power between 1949 and 1953, and maintaining its influence even in opposition after the overthrow of Mossadegh. The ideology eventually gave way to the rise of Islamism and the Iranian Revolution. The Tudeh Party later shifted toward a more basic form of socialist communism.

Iranian Socialist organizations during 1900–1979

Social Democratic Party

The Social Democratic Party was established in 1904 or 1905 by Iranian emigrants in Transcaucasia, with assistance from local revolutionaries. The party maintained close ties with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and the Hemmat Party. It was the first socialist organization in Iran. The party developed a unique blend of European socialism and indigenous ideas, while also advocating liberalism and nationalism. Although critical of the conservative ''ulama'', it retained some religious beliefs and supported the separation of church and state. The party was founded by Haydar Khan Amo-oghli and led by Nariman Narimanov.

Unified Socialist Party and Social Reformers Party

During the constitutional era, the Unified Socialist Party and Social Reformers Party were socialist political parties in Qajar Iran. The Social Reformers Party was considered more moderate compared to the economic platforms of the Democrat Party and the Social Democratic Party, although it similarly opposed the landlords.

Union and Progress Party

The Union and Progress Party was a political party during the constitutional era of Qajar Iran. In the 1909 Persian legislative election, the party won four seats and allied with the Moderate Socialists Party against the Democrat Party.

Democrat Party

The Democrat Party, founded in 1909 during the constitutional era of Qajar Iran, was one of two major parliamentary parties at the time, alongside its rival, the Moderate Socialists Party. The party followed a social democrat ideology and was initially an offshoot of the Transcaucasia-based Social Democratic Party. However, it severed direct ties with Baku and removed "Socialist" from its name to appeal to the conservative public, although its ideology remained heavily influenced by the original party. The party was largely composed of middle-class intellectuals and advocated for the separation of church and state.

In 1918, the party split into two factions: the Pro-Reorganization Democrats, led by Bahar, and the Anti-Reorganization Democrats. Notable members included Hassan Taqizadeh and Haydar Khan Amo-oghli.

Socialist Revolutionary Party

Founded in the 1900s, the Socialist Revolutionary Party, also known as the Social-Revolutionaries, was an Iranian revolutionary socialist party based in Baku, Caucasus Viceroyalty. It was one of the most significant parties established by Iranian emigrants in Transcaucasia during the Qajar era. The party published an Azerbaijani-language newspaper, ''Ekinçi ve Fe'le'', which was issued twice a week and edited by Hosayn Israfilbekov.

Communist Party of Persia

The Communist Party of Persia, originally established in 1917 as the Justice Party, was an Iranian communist party founded by former members of the Social Democratic Party who supported the Baku-based Bolsheviks. The party participated in the Third International in 1919 and was renamed the Communist Party of Iran in 1920.

Socialist Party

During the 1920s, the Socialist Party was a leading left-wing political party in Iran. It maintained close ties with the Tudeh Party of Iran and joined the Tudeh-led United Front of Progressive Parties in 1946, eventually being absorbed by the larger group. The roots of the Socialist Party lay in the Democrat Party, a reformist group active in the early 20th century. After the disintegration of that movement, members who retained faith in mobilizing the lower and middle classes regrouped under the Socialist Party banner in 1921. The party was led by Sulayman Eskandari, Muhammad Musavat, and Qasim Khan Sur, along with Muhammad Sadiq Tabatabai, a member of a prominent clerical family recruited to mitigate opposition from conservative clerics.Abrahamian, ''Iran'', p. 127 The party’s main newspaper, ''Toufan (Storm)'', was edited by the outspoken and controversial poet Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi.

The party established branches in Rasht, Qazvin, Bandar Anzali, Tabriz, Mashhad, Kerman, and Kermanshah, although Tehran remained its primary base of operations. In the capital, the party founded four newspapers and established affiliated organizations, including the Union of Employees in the Ministry of Post and Telegraph, a Tenants Association, and the Patriotic Women's Society. The latter campaigned for a broader role for women in Iranian society, promoting initiatives such as education for girls and improved healthcare for women. It was founded in 1922 by Mohtaram Eskandari and quickly became affiliated with her husband’s party.

The party’s platform advocated for establishing equality in society, nationalizing the means of production, implementing irrigation schemes, introducing a new level of regional government, ensuring a free and equal judiciary, guaranteeing rights to free speech, free assembly, and trade union rights, conducting free elections, expanding access to education, improving working conditions, ending child labour, and promoting government intervention against unemployment.Abrahamian, ''Iran'', p. 128 The party gained some support, attracting 2,500 members in Tehran alone shortly after its formation.

Alongside the Reformist Party, the Revival Party and the Communist Party, the Socialist Party was one of the four groups courted by Rezā Shāh as he sought to secure the Iranian throne. It joined forces with the Revival Party to form a working majority in the Iranian parliament, enabling Reza Khan (as he was then known) to establish a reformist government. However, Reza Khan soon distanced himself from the Socialists, aligning with more conservative elements after abandoning plans for a republic and opting to establish himself as king. The Socialist Party was one of the few groups in parliament that refused to actively support Reza’s rise to the throne, arguing that their republican principles prevented them from endorsing a monarchy, despite supporting many of his reforms.

Following Reza Shah’s ascension, the Socialist Party was dissolved as part of a broader crackdown on anti-monarchist dissent. Eskandari was forced to retire from public life, and mobs were organized to harass party members and attack their properties. A police-led mob razed a Socialist Theatre in Enzeli on the pretext that a female actor had appeared on stage during a performance of ''Tartuffe.'' In Tehran, the Patriotic Women's Society was stoned, and its library was burned down. A minor group of the same name re-emerged in 1944 when radical members of the Comrades Party split from that group over its failure to support striking workers in Isfahan.

Young Communist League of Persia

The Young Communist League of Persia, founded during the Gilan Revolution, was a communist youth organization established in Qajar Iran following the split between the communist and non-communist '' Jangali'' elements on 31 July 1920. The YCL of Persia engaged in agitation and propaganda activities and organized armed actions against the followers of Kuchik Khan. The organization was dismantled after the defeat of the Gilan Soviet.

In 1927, various communist youth groups merged to reestablish the YCL of Persia. It became a section of the Young Communist International. However, in the autumn of 1928, the organization was suppressed along with other leftist groups.

Revolutionary Republican Party of Iran

Founded in late 1924 by the Iranian diaspora in Germany, the Revolutionary Republican Party of Iran was a moderate left-wing political party in Qajar Iran with socialist reformist tendencies. The party published its platform in 1926.

Jungle Party

Active in northern Iran during the 1940s, the Jungle Party was a secessionist, nationalist, and socialist party founded by armed rebels seeking to revive the Persian Socialist Soviet Republic established in 1921, using its red flag as a symbol. The party was supported by some of Mirza Kuchik Khan's former associates. In 1946, the Jungle Party allied with the Iran Party, the Tudeh Party of Iran, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the Azerbaijani Democratic Party.

Iran Party

Established in 1941, the Iran Party is described as the "backbone of the National Front", the leading umbrella organization of Iranian nationalists. Founded mainly by European-educated technocrats, the party advocated for "a diluted form of French socialism" (i.e., it "modeled itself on" the moderate Socialist Party of France) and promoted social democracy, liberal nationalism, and secularism. The party’s socialist stance was more akin to that of the Fabian Society than to the scientific socialism of Karl Marx. Its focus on liberal socialist and democratic socialist principles made it distinct from purely left-wing parties, and it did not engage much in labour rights discussions. The core of the party consisted of members from the Iranian Engineers' Association.

In the Iranian legislative election of 1944, five of the party's leaders—Rezazadeh Shafaq, Ghulam'Ali Farivar, AhdulHamid Zanganeh, Hussein Mu'aven, and Abdallah Mu'azemi—won seats, along with Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was not a member but was effectively supported by the party. The party played a key role in helping Mosaddegh establish the National Front, nationalize the oil industry, and rise to power. Several members held office during Mosaddegh government.

In the 1950s, the party was led by Karim Sanjabi and Allah-Yar Saleh. It was suppressed following the British-American backed coup d'état in 1953 and outlawed in 1957 on the grounds of its alliance with the Tudeh Party of Iran a decade earlier. The party was revived in 1960 and actively contributed to the National Front (II), which disintegrated in 1963 and was forced to operate secretly. The Iran Party held a congress in 1964.

Not much is known about the party's activities between 1964 and the mid-1970s, except for some irregular meetings and exchanges of views. In 1977, alongside the League of Socialists and the Nation Party, it helped revive the National Front (IV) and demanded the return of Ruhollah Khomeini to Iran. In early 1979, Shapour Bakhtiar, the secretary-general of the party, was appointed as the last Prime Minister by the Shah, with two Iran Party members in his cabinet. However, the party denounced Bakhtiar's acceptance of the post, expelled him, and labeled him a "traitor." After 1979, the Iran Party did not play a significant role in the Iranian political arena and was soon banned.

Comrades Party

During the 1940s, the Comrades Party was part of a wave of political groupings established following the removal of Rezā Shāh. The party was founded in November 1942 by Mustafa Fateh, a British-educated economist who was close to the Tudeh Party of Iran but opposed its close relationship with the Soviet Union.Ervand Abrahamian, '' Iran: Between Two Revolutions'', Princeton University Press, 1982, p. 188 Fateh, who had been an important figure in the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, edited the Tudeh paper ''Mardom'' for a time before establishing his own journal, ''Emruz va Farda''. Abbas Narraqi, another founding member, had been one of 53 men imprisoned in 1937 on charges of conspiring to lead a communist revolution.

The Comrades Party called for two main goals: political equality for all Iranians and the nationalization of the means of production. It put forward ten candidates in the 1944 election, all of whom came from professional backgrounds. Two members of the Comrades Party were elected to the Majlis of Iran, where they sat with the Individuals' Caucus, a group they formed with the Iran Party and various independents, all of whom largely followed the lead of Mohammad Mosaddegh.

The party split in 1944 following a dispute in Isfahan, where clashes between striking workers and local tribes loyal to the Shah broke out amid accusations that the workers were attempting to lead a communist revolution. The Majlis-based wing of the Comrades Party condemned the workers and affirmed their loyalty to the Shah. However, another external group joined Tudeh in supporting the strikers. This group, which maintained control of ''Emruz va Farda'', broke away to form the Socialist Party.

Movement of God-Worshipping Socialists

Founded in 1943, the Movement of God-Worshipping Socialists was one of six original member organizations of the National Front. The party was led by Muhammed Nakhshab. It was formed through the merger of two groups: Nakhshab's circle of high school students at Dar al-Fanoun and Jalaleddin Ashtiyani's circle of about 25 students at the Faculty of Engineering at Tehran University. Initially known as the League of Patriotic Muslims, the organization combined religious sentiments, nationalism, and socialist ideals.Rāhnamā, ʻAlī.
An Islamic Utopian: A Political Biography of Ali Shari'ati
'. London: I.B. Tauris, 1998. p. 25

Nakhshab is credited with the first synthesis between Shi'ism and European socialism.Abrahamian, Ervand.
Iran between Two Revolutions
'. Princeton studies on the Near East. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1982. p. 463 His movement was based on the belief that Islam and socialism were not incompatible, as both sought to achieve social equality and justice. His theories were outlined in his B.A. thesis on the laws of ethics.Rāhnamā, ʻAlī.
An Islamic Utopian: A Political Biography of Ali Shari'ati
'. London: I.B. Tauris, 1998. p. 26

Azerbaijani Democratic Party

The Azerbaijani Democratic Party was a pro-Soviet, separatist, and pan-Turkist political party founded by Jafar Pishevari in Tabriz, Iran, in September 1945.

United Front of Progressive Parties

From 1946 to 1948, the United Front of Progressive Parties was a political alliance of left-wing parties in Iran. It was originally founded by the communist Tudeh Party and the socialist Iran Party, which invited other parties to join them in their alleged struggle for "social progress and national independence". One of the main planks of the United Front was to recognize the Central Council of United Trade Unions as the sole legitimate organization of the working class in Iran.

Iran Unity Party

The Iran Unity Party was a socialist political party formed after splitting from the Iran Party following its alliance with the communist Tudeh Party of Iran in 1946. According to Leonard Binder, the party was in a coalition with the National Union Party and the Socialist Party in the 14th parliament.

Toilers Party of the Iranian Nation

Founded on 16 May 1951 by Mozzafar Baghai, the Toilers Party of the Iranian Nation was a social-democratic political party, initially a member of the National Front. The party pledged support for the nationalization of Iran's oil industry and opposed the Tudeh Party. It successfully attracted a considerable following among educated youth, especially at the University of Tehran, Third Force activists, and shopkeepers from Kerman's '' bazzar''. The party also included a nucleus of ''čāqukeš'' and '' čumāqdār''.

In the 1952 legislative election, the party won two seats, held by Baghai and Zohari. The party split in 1952 over its relationship with the government of Mosaddegh. Under the leadership of Mozzafar Baghai, the Toilers Party left the National Front and openly opposed the government. Meanwhile, Khalil Maleki re-established the Third Force under the name ''Toilers Party of the Iranian Nation — Third Force'' and continued to support the government.

The Toilers Party formed an alliance with the Society of Mujahed Muslims, led by Ayatollah Kashani, pooling their resources and coordinating activities against the government. The party actively participated in the 1953 coup d'état calling it a "national uprising," but opposed Fazlollah Zahedi's post-coup military government. Following their opposition, their newspapers were banned, and their party office was confiscated by the government. The party went into hiatus until the 1960 Iranian legislative election. It resumed activity in 1961 and expressed support for Ayatollah Khomeini during the 5 June 1963 demonstrations.

In 1971, the party was reorganized with government permission, but was forced to cease its activities in 1975 following the announcement of the one-party state under the Resurgence Party. In 1977, Baghai attempted to revive the party, declaring loyalty to the Pahlavi dynasty, although at a restricted level. The party was soon dissolved following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

League of Iranian Socialists

In 1960, the League of Socialists of the National Movement of Iran, also known as the Society of Iranian Socialists, was founded by Third Force activists led by Khalil Maleki, along with a number of radical nationalists, most of whom had social democratic leanings, and some members with Islamic socialist tendencies. Hossein Malek, Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, and Jalal Al-e-Ahmad were among the key figures associated with the group. The party, which had a socialist and nationalist ideology, formally joined the Socialist International upon it's establishment.

The organization was a founding member of the National Front (II) and was considered the "extreme left-wing" within the front. After the Iranian Revolution, it broke with the National Front and joined the National Democratic Front. In the Iranian presidential election of 1980, the group supported the People's Mujahedin of Iran nominee Massoud Rajavi.

Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas

Founded in 1963, the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (OIPFG) was a Marxist-Leninist underground guerrilla organization that pursued an anti-imperialist agenda and embraced '' armed propaganda'' to justify its revolutionary struggle against Iran's monarchy system. The organization adhered to materialism and rejected reformism, drawing inspiration from the thoughts of Mao Zedong, Che Guevara, and Régis Debray. Bijan Jazani, known as the "intellectual father" of the organization, contributed to its ideology by writing a series of influential pamphlets including ''Struggle Against the Shah's Dictatorship'', ''What a Revolutionary Must Know'', and ''How the Armed Struggle Will Be Transformed into a Mass Struggle?''. These pamphlets were followed by Masoud Ahmadzadeh's ''Armed Struggle: Both a Strategy and a Tactic'' and Amir Parviz Pouyan's ''The Necessity of Armed Struggle and the Rejection of the Theory of Survival''.

The Fedai Guerrillas criticized the National Front and the Liberation Movement, describing them as "''petite bourgeoisie'' paper organizations still preaching the false hope of peaceful change". Initially, the organization also criticized the Soviet Union and the Tudeh Party, but later abandoned this stance due to cooperation with the socialist camp.

In June 1973, the organization merged with the People's Democratic Front.Behrooz, Maziar.
Rebels with a Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran
'. London: I.B. Tauris, 2000. pp. 63-64 However, ideological differences existed between the two groups, as the People's Democratic Front opposed Leninism, seeing it as a deviation from Marxism.

Organization of Communist Revolutionaries (Marxist–Leninist)

Founded in 1969, the Organization of Communist Revolutionaries (Marxist–Leninist) was formed in opposition to the Shah regime in Iran and was active in the Iranian student movement in exile. The organization adhered to Marxism–Leninist and Maoist ideology and later merged with the Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran).

Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran)

The Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran), also unofficially translated by others as the League of Iranian Communists, was a Maoist organization in Iran. The UIC(S) was formed in 1976 after the alliance of several Maoist groups carrying out military actions within Iran. The group began preparing for an insurrection in 1981, but it was dismantled by 1982.

Peykar

Founded in 1975, the Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class, or Peykar, also known as the Marxist Mojahedin, was a Marxist splinter group from the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMoI). Its members broke away from the PMoI to support secular Marxism-Leninism, rather than the Leftist Islamist modernism of the People's Mujahedin. The group's leaders included Alireza Sepasi-Ashtiani and Hossein Rouhani. By the early 1980s, Peykar was no longer considered active and was subsequently suppressed through imprisonment and executions.

Movement of Militant Muslims

Founded in 1977, the Movement of Militant Muslims is an Iranian Islamic socialist political group led by Habibollah Payman. The group was revolutionary and is closely associated with the Council of Nationalist-Religious Activists of Iran. The party's ideology combines Islamic socialism, social democracy, and anti-imperialism.

Union of Communist Militants

Founded in December 1978, the Union of Communist Militants (EMK) was an Iranian Maoist group established by Mansoor Hekmat. The group participated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which was marked by the creation of workers' councils (''shoras''). Due to increasing repression in Iran, the organization sought refuge in Kurdistan in 1981. In Kurdistan, the organization merged with a Kurdish Maoist group, Komalah. Together, they formed the Communist Party of Iran (CPI) in September 1983.

Iranian Socialist organizations after 1979

Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)

The Organization of Iranian People's Fadaian (Majority) is an Iranian left-wing opposition political party in exile. The OIPFM advocates for a secular Iranian republic and the overthrow of the current Islamic Republic of Iran government. An offshoot of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas, it was considered the largest communist organization in Iran from 1980 to 1991.

Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas

Founded in April 1979, the Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (IFPG), also known as the Dehghani faction after its leader Ashraf Dehghani, is an Iranian communist organization that split from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (OIPFG) in 1979, dropping the word "organization" from its name. Dehghani broke away from the OIPFG after accusing it of deviating from the strategy of guerrilla warfare. From the early days of the Iranian Revolution, the group claimed to be the "sole genuine communist organization" and opposed the Islamic Republic. Reportedly, as much as 30% of OIPFG members joined the group and fought in the 1979 Kurdish rebellion against government forces, supporting the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Surviving members of the group and its factions moved to Europe in the 1990s.

Organization of Working-class Freedom Fighters

Founded in 1979, the Organization of Working-class Freedom Fighters, or simply Razmandegan, was a communist party in Iran that opposed both the Soviet line and the guerrilla doctrine.

Fedaian Organisation (Minority)

Founded in 1980, the Fedaian Organisation (Minority) was an Iranian Marxist-Leninist organization and an offshoot of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas. It split from the majority faction over a dispute, adhering to the original militant policy of the group, opposing the Tudeh Party, and insisting on challenging the Islamic Republic. In January 1982, it was joined by the "Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority Left Wing," led by Moṣṭafā Madani, an offshoot of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority) that had broken away from the latter in October 1980.

Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas – Followers of the Identity Platform

The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas – Followers of the Identity Platform is an Iranian communist group based in exile. It was formed in 1983 as a split from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Minority).

Communist Party of Iran

The Communist Party of Iran (CPI) is an Iranian communist party founded on 2 September 1983. It has an armed wing, and its membership is predominantly Kurdish. The CPI is active throughout the industrialized areas of Iran.

Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (1985)

The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (1985) is an Iranian communist group. It was formed in 1985 as a split from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Minority). The organization is currently banned in Iran.

References

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Anti-Islam sentiment in Iran

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