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Dossier. L'URSS et l'Iran

Did the Soviets play a role in founding the Tudeh party in Iran?

Cosroe Chaqueri
p. 497-508

Abstracts

The article deals with the establishment of the Tudeh in fall 1941 and the role the Soviets played. Based on documents from the Comintern archives, opened in 1992 and 1993, the article demonstrates that the theses sustained thus far by pro-Soviet and anti-Soviet writers are incorrect insofar as the creation of the Tudeh was neither initiated by a number of independent leftists nor by the NKVD. It was rather planned and brought into existence by the occupying Soviet army through secret contacts with the veteran Iranian (pro-Soviet) socialist and former Minister of Reza Shah, Solaiman Mirza Eskandari. The Soviet army officer in charge saw to it that the program and activities of the party were in conformity with Soviet interests in Iran. Essential in this strategy was not to create an openly communist party, but a front organization run by seasoned Communists – a strategy that was approved, through the Comintern, by Stalin and his associates. Additionally, what is made clear through these documents is that some old Iranian Communists, still in NKVD captivity, were, in spite of the demand made by some younger Communists in Iran and seconded by the Cadres Section of the Comintern, not allowed to return to Iran to help the newly founded party, but were eliminated posthaste, for their “sectarian” positions in the past and, no doubt, for fear of their anti-Soviet leanings during and after the war. They were liquidated shortly thereafter. Initially not very popular with the people of Iran, the Tudeh began to make inroads into Iran’s political arena after the Soviet victory at Stalingrad; it gradually lost its appeal as it sided with Soviet interests in Iran and against those of Iran’s, particularly on the issue of oil nationalization under Mosaddeq.

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References

Bibliographical reference

Cosroe Chaqueri, “Did the Soviets play a role in founding the Tudeh party in Iran?”Cahiers du monde russe, 40/3 | 1999, 497-508.

Electronic reference

Cosroe Chaqueri, “Did the Soviets play a role in founding the Tudeh party in Iran?”Cahiers du monde russe [Online], 40/3 | 1999, Online since 15 January 2007, connection on 28 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/monderusse/22; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/monderusse.22

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About the author

Cosroe Chaqueri

École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris.

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Copyright

The text and other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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