The Left in Iran 1905–1940

Overview

The first of three, this volume explores Iranian history from 1905 to 1940 and past events in which Iran has grabbed the world's attention. Discussing the failure of the workers’ and socialist movement, where opportunities seem to have appeared and been snuffed out at crucial times, it also explains the reactionary role of British imperialism during this period. Eschewing easy answers, this record critically reviews the roles of Lenin and Theodore Rothstein in subordinating Iranian working class interests to those of the Russian state. Detailed and authoritative, with many relevant documents never before available in English, this volume gives a new and real understanding of early Iranian socialist and radical movements.

Reviews

“Chaqueri . . . has assembled an impressive collection of materials translated from Persian and Russian, as well as from other languages used by the international Left, to create an authoritative work on the subject."  —Middle East Quarterly

“A comprehensive range of crucial documents showing the foundation of Left and socialist organizations in Iran in the wake of the Constitutional Revolution, and the early 1920s.”  —Counterfire

Author Biography

Cosroe Chaqueri is the author of The Armenians of Iran: The Paradoxical Role of a Minority in a Dominant Culture, Beginning Politics in the Reproductive Cycle of Children's Tales and Games in Iran, and Origins of Social Democracy in Modern Iran.