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The Communist Party of Iran (CPI; Persian: حزب کمونیست ایران) is an Iranian communist party founded on 2 September 1983. It has an armed wing and its membership is predominantly Kurdish.[1] The CPI is active throughout the industrialized areas of Iran.[1][2]
Communist Party of Iran حزب کمونیست ایران | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | CPI |
| Leadership | Central committee |
| Founder | Abdulla Mohtadi Mansoor Hekmat |
| Founded | 2 September 1983 in Iranian Kurdistan |
| Merger of | |
| Newspaper | Jahān-e Emrūz (World Today) |
| Kurdish organization | Komala (CPI) |
| Armed wing | Peshmerga Forces |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| National affiliation | Cooperation Council of Left and Communist Parties |
| Slogan | "Workers of all countries, unite!" |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
editThe Communist Party of Iran was founded in 1983, in Iranian Kurdistan. It was formed from a merger between the Marxist–Leninist Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan and three related Iranian leftist organizations: Sahand, the Union of Communist Militants,[3] and a faction of Peykar.[4][2][1] Prior to the merger, Komala was considered to be a strictly Maoist party. The CPI, however, has been critical of Mao as a revolutionary, considering that he made many mistakes throughout the 1950s to 1970s. The party opposes the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[1] The CPI also rejects the policies of the Tudeh Party of Iran from the late 1950s and onward, citing a particular grievance with Tudeh giving support to the Shahs of Iran and Ayatollah Khomeini's regime. CPI also emphasizes that the Soviet Union was not a socialist government after the death of Stalin.
The party would suffer a split in 1991, when former party leader Mansoor Hekmat formed the Worker-communist Party of Iran over issues regarding left-wing nationalism.[citation needed]
Goals
editThe CPI currently advocates for increased civil, political, and social rights in Iran, as well as improved labour laws and protections for workers.[5]
The party has representations in Germany (Köln and Frankfurt), Finland, Sweden (Göteborg and Stockholm), Norway, Denmark (Copenhagen), the United Kingdom (London), Australia, and Canada (Toronto).[6]
Structure
editUnlike most other communist parties, the CPI is not organised on the basis of democratic centralism. The party is decentralised and its cadres generally act autonomously.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Alaolmolki, Nozar (1987). "The New Iranian Left". Middle East Journal. 41 (2): 218–233. JSTOR 4327537.
- ^ a b van Bruinessen, Martin (1986). "The Kurds between Iran and Iraq". MERIP Middle East Report (141): 14–27. doi:10.2307/3011925. ISSN 0888-0328. JSTOR 3011925.
- ^ "Worker Communism Radical Conscience of The Left of Capital (Part 2) - Changing the name of "Sahand" to the "Unity of Communist Militants"". Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ "حزب کمونیست ایران / در باره ما". cpiran.org (in Persian). Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ "مبانی استراتژی حزب کمونیست ایران به مناسبت سالگرد تاسیس حزب". cpiran.org (in Persian). Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ electricpulp.com. "COMMUNISM iii. In Persia after 1953 – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 8 September 2018.