Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas
Encyclopedia
The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas emerged as radical Marxist-Leninist
movement in Iran
in 1971, formed to overthrow the Pahlavi
regime. The group fought against the governments of Mohammad Reza Shah and after the 1979 revolution
, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The organization was the product of the merger of two smaller groups of revolutionaries, the Jazani-Zarifi
group and the Ahmadzadeh-Puyan-Meftahi group. The Jazani-Zarifi group's members were former members of the youth organization of the Tudeh Party while the second group's members were mostly followers of the National Front
and its affiliated organizations.
The first meeting was organized in 1963 by Bijan Jazani
and his colleagues. By 1966, when Hassan Zia-Zarifi
and Jazani got together, they had reached the conclusion that the powerful American influence in Iran
and the repression against liberal dissident
s in Iran had made peaceful activism entirely ineffective. Armed struggle was therefore viewed as the sole effective way to liberation.
Shortly after that, on 19 Bahman 1349 (8 February 1971) nine members of the group launched their first attack on the gendarmerie post of the small village of Siahkal in the northern Gilan forests, widely viewed as the turning point in the leftist armed struggle against the Shah. After the subsequent arrest and murder of the guerrilla team, the two groups officially united and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas came to existence.
In the period from 1971 to 1979, Fedaian came under an intense attack by the Shah
's regime, with nearly 300 Fedaian members were murdered by the regime. In this period the majority of the Organization's leaders were captured and murdered.
OIPFG would pass through various periods of internal divisions. In 1979 Ashraf Dehghani
left OIPFG, accusing it of deviating from the line of guerrilla warfare, and formed a parallel Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas
. In the same year former OIPFG cadres formed the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran.
Following the revolution, the Organization public offices were established in most Iranian cities. In the first election after the revolution, Fedaian received 10% of the votes.
In the meantime, internal discussions on the issues of revolution and regime’s nature were under way
amongst Fedaian which resulted in several break ups in the Organization. Means and Methods of
struggle and policies towards the new government were the top issues. Majority of the organization
members did not believe in armed struggle any more and at the new political atmosphere recognized
the Islamic Republic as an anti-Imperialist state. That majority chose to pace with the people -
masses who were widely the followers of their religious leaders.
These differences caused the separation of the minority of the Organization from the Majority.In 1980, OIPFG was divided into OIPFG (Majority) and Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Minority). OIPFG (Minority), which broke away from the main organization, was pursuing a more radical line. On May Day
1981, thousands of OIPFG (Majority) supporters gathered in Teheran. At its May Day rally, the organization announced that the group would cease to conduct guerrilla warfare and was renamed Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)
(in Persian
: (سازمان فداییان خلق ایران (اکثریت)). http://web.telia.com/~u31525377/english/his01eng.htm
After a death war between Kurds and Iranin Islamic regim in 1981, a revolutionary Kurd group of Ashraf Dehghani's group was formed....
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
movement in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in 1971, formed to overthrow the Pahlavi
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
regime. The group fought against the governments of Mohammad Reza Shah and after the 1979 revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The organization was the product of the merger of two smaller groups of revolutionaries, the Jazani-Zarifi
Hassan Zia-Zarifi
Hassan Zia-Zarifi was an Iranian intellectual and one of the ideological founders of the communist guerrilla movement in Iran.Hassan Zia-Zarifi was executed extrajudicially along with eight others while in prison in Tehran on April 18, 1975...
group and the Ahmadzadeh-Puyan-Meftahi group. The Jazani-Zarifi group's members were former members of the youth organization of the Tudeh Party while the second group's members were mostly followers of the National Front
National Front (Iran)
The National Front of Iran or Jebhe Melli is a Democratic, political opposition group founded by Mohammad Mossadegh and other secular Iranian leaders of Nationalist, Liberal, and Social-Democratic political orientation who had been educated in France in the late 1940s...
and its affiliated organizations.
The first meeting was organized in 1963 by Bijan Jazani
Bijan Jazani
Bijan Jazani , Tehran, 1938 – April 19, 1975) is a major figure among modern Iranian Socialist intellectuals.-Personal and Political Life:Bijan Jazani was born to Hossien Jazani and Alamtaj Kalantari Nazari...
and his colleagues. By 1966, when Hassan Zia-Zarifi
Hassan Zia-Zarifi
Hassan Zia-Zarifi was an Iranian intellectual and one of the ideological founders of the communist guerrilla movement in Iran.Hassan Zia-Zarifi was executed extrajudicially along with eight others while in prison in Tehran on April 18, 1975...
and Jazani got together, they had reached the conclusion that the powerful American influence in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the repression against liberal dissident
Liberalism in Iran
This article provides an overview of liberalism in Iran. It is limited to the Iranian liberal movement and liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in the majlis ....
s in Iran had made peaceful activism entirely ineffective. Armed struggle was therefore viewed as the sole effective way to liberation.
Shortly after that, on 19 Bahman 1349 (8 February 1971) nine members of the group launched their first attack on the gendarmerie post of the small village of Siahkal in the northern Gilan forests, widely viewed as the turning point in the leftist armed struggle against the Shah. After the subsequent arrest and murder of the guerrilla team, the two groups officially united and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas came to existence.
In the period from 1971 to 1979, Fedaian came under an intense attack by the Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
's regime, with nearly 300 Fedaian members were murdered by the regime. In this period the majority of the Organization's leaders were captured and murdered.
OIPFG would pass through various periods of internal divisions. In 1979 Ashraf Dehghani
Ashraf Dehghani
Ashraf Dehghani is amongst the best known Iranian female communist revolutionaries, and is a member of the Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas....
left OIPFG, accusing it of deviating from the line of guerrilla warfare, and formed a parallel Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas
Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas
The Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas is an Iranian opposition organization. It has a Marxist-Leninist ideology. The group was formed in 1979, when Ashraf Dehghani broke away from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas...
. In the same year former OIPFG cadres formed the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran.
Following the revolution, the Organization public offices were established in most Iranian cities. In the first election after the revolution, Fedaian received 10% of the votes.
In the meantime, internal discussions on the issues of revolution and regime’s nature were under way
amongst Fedaian which resulted in several break ups in the Organization. Means and Methods of
struggle and policies towards the new government were the top issues. Majority of the organization
members did not believe in armed struggle any more and at the new political atmosphere recognized
the Islamic Republic as an anti-Imperialist state. That majority chose to pace with the people -
masses who were widely the followers of their religious leaders.
These differences caused the separation of the minority of the Organization from the Majority.In 1980, OIPFG was divided into OIPFG (Majority) and Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (Minority). OIPFG (Minority), which broke away from the main organization, was pursuing a more radical line. On May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
1981, thousands of OIPFG (Majority) supporters gathered in Teheran. At its May Day rally, the organization announced that the group would cease to conduct guerrilla warfare and was renamed Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)
Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)
The Organization of Iranian People's Fadaian or Fedayan-e Khalq , 'Organization of self-sacrificers of the people of Iran ') is the largest socialist party in Iran and advocates the overthrow of the Islamic regime in Iran...
(in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: (سازمان فداییان خلق ایران (اکثریت)). http://web.telia.com/~u31525377/english/his01eng.htm
See also
- Guerrilla groups of IranGuerrilla groups of IranSeveral leftist guerrilla groups attempting to overthrown the pro-Western regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi were notable and active in Iran from 1971 to 1975. The groups shared a commitment to armed struggle, but differed in ideology...
- Iranian People's Fedai GuerrillasIranian People's Fedai GuerrillasThe Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas is an Iranian opposition organization. It has a Marxist-Leninist ideology. The group was formed in 1979, when Ashraf Dehghani broke away from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas...
- Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)The Organization of Iranian People's Fadaian or Fedayan-e Khalq , 'Organization of self-sacrificers of the people of Iran ') is the largest socialist party in Iran and advocates the overthrow of the Islamic regime in Iran...
- Fedaian Organisation (Minority)
- Union of People's Fedaian of IranUnion of People's Fedaian of IranThe Union of People's Fedaian of Iran is a communist organization that publishes a monthly magazine called Iran Today.The organization was established in April 1994, following the Convention of Unity Congress...
After a death war between Kurds and Iranin Islamic regim in 1981, a revolutionary Kurd group of Ashraf Dehghani's group was formed....
External links
- http://www.iranian-fedaii.de
- www.fadai.org Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority) website