Tudeh Party of Iran

The Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian Marxist–Leninist communist party. Formed in 1941 with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its leader, the organization held significant influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddegh's campaign to nationalize the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, as well as throughout his term as prime minister. From the Iran crisis of 1946 onwards, Tudeh became a pro-Soviet organization and remained prepared to carry out the dictates of the Soviet leadership in Moscow, even if it meant sacrificing Iranian political independence and sovereignty. The crackdown that followed the 1953 coup against Mosaddegh is said to have "destroyed" the party, although a small part of it survived. The party still exists but has remained much weaker on account of being banned in Iran and mass arrests by the Islamic Republic in 1982, as well as the executions of political prisoners in 1988. Tudeh identified itself as the historical successor of the Communist Party of Persia.

Ideological profile

The Tudeh Party is retroactively described in conflicting ways, sometimes as "Stalinist", or as a more traditional communist party that supported the Soviet Union while also adopting nationalism to appeal more to Iranians. It is also sometimes described simply as "leftist" or even "left-leaning" by other sources.

History

Birth of the communist movement in Iran

The history of the communist movement in Iran dates back to the late 19th century, when Marxism was first introduced to the nation's intellectual and working classes as a result of the rapid growth of industry and the subsequent transformation of the country's economy from a feudalistic system into a capitalistic one. Being close to the Soviet Union and the Caucasus, northern Iran became the primary center of underground Marxist and social democrat political activity, and many such groups came into being over the years.