Rebels With A Cause

Why did the Iranian Left lose its footing in the twentieth century? This study takes up that question, drawing on material that has not previously been translated from Persian. The author argues that the answer lies in several overlapping causes. Iran's position during the Cold War mattered a great deal, since both the Soviet bloc and the West found a stable Iran useful. Within the movement itself, repeated splits and infighting weakened it. Perhaps most important, the Left embraced a rigid, uncritical version of Stalinism that offered little intellectual depth.