Pan-Iranism
Pan-Iranism, is an irredentist[1] ideology advocating the unification of Iranian peoples such as Persians, Kurds and Pashtuns; often this including Armenians, Georgians and Azerbaijanis.
History
1920s
Iranian political scientist Mahmoud Afshar made the Pan-Iranist ideology in the early 1920s in opposition to Pan-Turkism and Pan-Arabism. This was seen as potential threats to the territorial integrity of Iran.[2] He also displayed a strong belief in the nationalist character of Iranian people throughout the country’s long history.[2]
With the end of the Qajar dynasty, which had descended into corruption, and the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925, who started reforms limiting the power of the Shia clergy, Iranian nationalist and socialist thinkers had hoped that this new era would also see the start of democratic reforms. However, such reforms did not take place. This caused the rise of a loosely organized grass roots Pan-Iranism movement made up of nationalist writers, teachers, students, and activists allied with other pro-democracy movements.
1940–50s
In the 1940s, following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the Pan-Iranist movement gained momentum and popularity. It was due to the result of the widespread feeling of insecurity among Iranians who saw the king, Reza Shah, powerless against such foreign presence in the country. There were soldiers from Russia, England, India, New Zealand, Australia and later on, America, present in the country, especially in the capital, Tehran.[3]
The Allied occupation influenced a series of student movements in 1941. One of these new groups was an underground nationalist guerrilla group called the Revenge group, also known as the Anjoman.[3] The Pan-Iranist Party was founded later on by two of the members of the Revenge group and two other students in the mid-to-late 1940s in Tehran University. Though the pan-Iranism movement had been active in the 1930s, it had been a loosely organized grass roots alliance of nationalist writers, teachers, students, and activists. The party was the first organization to officially adopt the pan-Iranist position. They believed in the solidarity and reunification of the Iranian peoples in the Iranian plateau.
During this period a number of Pan-Iranist fascist parties were founded, such as the SUMKA and Arya parties, which had an appeal among army officers and students.[4] Founded in 1951, SUMKA (Ḥezb-e sosiālist-melli-ye kārgarān-e Irān) which was largely, modelled in ideology and structure, after the Nazi Party.[5]
After 1950s
In 1951, the party leaders Mohsen Pezeshkpour and Dariush Forouhar came to a disagreement as to how the party should operate. Then a division occurred. The two factions greatly differed in their organizational structure and practice. The Pezeskpour faction, which retained the party name, believed in working within the system of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Forouhar faction, which adopted a new name, Mellat Iran (Nation of Iran Party), believed in working against the system.[3]
Iran-e Kabir
Iran-e Kabir (Persian: ایران کبیر, romanized: Irān-e Kabir, lit. "Greater Iran") was a periodical published in the city of Rasht by the Armenian political activist Gregory Yeghikian (Armenian: Գրիգոր Եղիկյան). It advocated the unification of Iranian peoples (e.g., Afghans, Kurds, etc.) including the Armenians. Yaqikiān believed that, with education and the rising of the levels of people’s awareness, such a goal was feasible through peaceful means.
The journal benefited from the contributions of a number of leading intellectuals of the time, including Moḥammad Moʿin and ʿAli Esfandiāri (Nimā Yušij), and carried articles, poetry, a serialized story, and some news. It also published articles in support of the Kurds who had risen in rebellion in Turkey. This caused the protest of the Turkish counsel in Rasht. It led to the banning of the paper by the order of the minister of court. Yaqikiān tried, without success, to have the ban removed and eventually moved to Tehran. At here he published the paper Irān-e Konuni.[6]
Pan-Iranist organizations
Iran
Political parties
| Pan-Iranist Party |
Arya Party | Nation of Iran Party |
SUMKA |
|---|---|---|---|
Seats won:
|
— | Seats won:
|
— |
Tajikistan
Political parties
| Democratic Party |
|---|
Seats won:
|
References
- Leonard 1999, p. 22.
- Ashraf 2006, pp. 522–530.
- Engheta 2001.
- Bashiriyeh 1984, p. 14.
- Adhami 2018.
- Parvin 2006, p. 496.
Sources
- Leonard, Binder, ed. (1999). Ethnic conflict and international politics in the Middle East. University Press of Florida. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4039-8141-7.
Pan-Iranism had a brief ideological life among a small group of Iranian fascists, but has fizzled and seems unlikely to gain new life. Like pan-Turkism, its essential aims are irremediably irredentist, evoking images of Nazi-era expansionism.
- Ashraf, Ahmad (2006). "IRANIAN IDENTITY iv. 19TH-20TH CENTURIES". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XIII, Fasc. 5. pp. 522–530.
Afšār, a political scientist, pioneered systematic scholarly treatment of various aspects of Iranian national identity, territorial integrity, and national unity. An influential nationalist, he also displayed a strong belief in the nationalist character of Iranian people throughout the country’s long history. He was the first to propose the idea of Pan-Iranism to safeguard the unity and territorial integrity of the nation against the onslaught of Pan-Turkism and Pan-Arabism (Afšār, p. 187)
- Bashiriyeh, Hossein (1984). "The Evolution of the State Structure". The State and Revolution in Iran (RLE Iran D). Taylor & Francis. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-136-82089-2.
Two major splinter groups broke away from the party to form the more Islamically oriented Freedom Movement (led by engineers Bazargan, Samii, Atai and Sahabi) and the more social istically oriented Mardom-e Iran Party, composed of mostly younger professionals. The new petty bourgeoisie also formed a number of Pan Iranist fascist parties such as the Sumka and Arya parties which had appeal amongst army officers and students.
- Engheta, Naser (2001). 50 years history with the Pan-Iranists. Los Angeles, CA: Ketab Corp. ISBN 978-1-883819-56-9.In 1951, he moved to Tehran and was involved, primarily, with national politics until 1958.
- Adhami, Siamak (2018). MONCHI-ZADEH, DAVOUD.
In 1951 (ʿAzizi, p. 54), he founded the political party called SUMKA (Ḥezb-e sosiālist-melli-ye kārgarān-e Irān), which was modeled largely, in ideology and structure, after the Nazi Party.
- Parvin, Nassereddin (2006). "IRAN-E KABIR". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XIII, Fasc. 5. p. 496.
Notes
- Geographically and culturally, Greater Iran is generally acknowledged to include the entire Iranian plateau and its bordering plains, extending from Mesopotamia and the South Caucasus in the west, to the Indus River in the east, and from the Oxus River in the north to the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman in the south.