The Role of the Fedai Guerrillas in Transforming the Land Issue into a National Issue in the Gonbad Uprising

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of History Department of Imam Khomeini and Islamic Revolution Research Institute

2 MA of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini and Islamic Revolution Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

10.30484/ganj.2024.3142

Abstract

The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas, a militant group with a leftist Marxist ideology, saw itself as having failed to secure a significant share of political power after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. The group exploited the vacuum that arose between the fall of the Pahlavi regime and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. In the Turkmen Sahra region, they formed organizations with Marxist ideologies and separatist tendencies, successfully drawing a segment of discontented activists and locals towards an insurrection, which culminated in the two infamous Gonbad Wars during the early years of the revolution.
Purpose: To elucidate the economic roots of the Gonbad conflict and how it was transformed into separatist and nationalist demands by the People's Fedai Guerrillas.
Method and Research Design:
This study employs an introspective method, focusing on understanding the internal motivations of the actors involved in the Gonbad conflict.
Findings and Conclusion: The findings indicate that the longstanding dissatisfaction of the people of Gorgan and Dasht (the open plains surrounding Gorgan) and Turkmen Sahra, stemming from land issues and the seizure of their fertile agricultural lands over many years—especially during the Pahlavi era—fueled their mistrust of central governments and fostered separatist tendencies among them. The dual nature of the land issue and the separatist inclinations of the Turkmen people closely aligned with the global leftist teachings, particularly the concept of "transitioning from the land issue to the national issue" in peasant societies. The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas, as a communist militant organization in Iran, adhered to this principle, which is key to understanding why and how the organization became involved in the Gonbad conflict.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

English Translation of References
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History

  • Receive Date: 01 December 2023
  • Revise Date: 06 December 2023
  • Accept Date: 17 February 2024

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