Iranian Socialist and Communist Parties, Organizations and Groups Archives

Period  (1931-) 1957-1991
Total size   2.12 m.
Consultation Not restricted

History

The first generation of Iranian socialists participated in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1908; in 1917 the Adalat (Justice) Party was founded in Baku, Azerbaijan, which in 1920 changed its name into Ferqeh-e Komunist-e Irān (Communist Party of Iran); suppressed by the Rezā Shah autocracy during 1921-1941; in 1941 the Hezb-e Tudeh-e Irān (Tudeh or Mass Party of Iran, TPI) was founded, which rapidly expanded and became a major political force in the following years; its strength was drastically reduced after 1953 because of repression by the regime of Muhammad Rezā Shah but the TPI managed to survive and played a role in the revolution of 1979. Next to the TPI the Sāzemān-e Cherikhā-ye Fedā'i-ye Khalq-e Irān (Organization of the Iranian People's Fedaii Guerillas) came into existence through the merging in 1971 of two guerrilla groups which had been active since the mid-1960s; after the revolution of 1979 the Fedai split over their attitudes towards the Islamic Republic; persecutions by the Khomeini government started in 1981; a large number of the leaders and cadre members of the TPI, the Fedai and other left organizations were arrested, executed or sentenced to prison; an internal opposition within the TPI emerged after 1983 and founded the Hezb-e Demokrātik-e Mardom-e Irān (Iranian People's Democratic Party). Ahmadi, Hamid: born in Sari, Iran 1945; graduated from Iran's naval academy in 1971; member of the Central Committee of the Tudeh Party; left the TPI in 1986 and became research fellow at the Free University of Berlin.

Content

Collection of documents from Hamid Ahmadi consisting of correspondence by Hamid Ahmadi, Ardeshir Avanesiyan and other central committee members or cadre members of the TPI 1951, 1984-1990; documents relating to plenums of the TPI 1957, 1981, 1984, 1988; proclamations, internal bulletins, pamphlets and other documents relating to the TPI 1960-1961, 1973-1990 and n.d.; some documents relating to the Iranian People's Democratic Party 1987-1991; internal bulletins, pamphlets and other documents relating to the Organization of the Iranian People's Fedaii Guerrillas, the Fedā'i Aksariyāt (Fedai Majority) organization and other Iranian armed struggle and marxist organizations 1968-1990.

Processing information

List made by Hamid Ahmadi in 1995