The Tudeh Party of Iran in East Germany, and the ‘Vanguards’ of Iranian Student Movement during the Cold War (1960-1975)
This study explores the politics and strategies of the Tudeh Party of Iran, one of the most prominent communist parties in modern Iranian history, in relation to the Iranian student movement in general, and the Confederation of Iranian Students along with the communist factions that split from it, in particular, during the party’s relocation and reorganization in East Germany from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. This research aims to examine the discursive and organizational revival of the Tudeh Party in East Germany, along with the activities of its affiliated communist groups in West Germany, which operated within the Confederation, within the broader context of Cold War transformations and conflicts. By emphasizing the dominant dynamics of the era—particularly the East-West and North-South divides, intra-socialist bloc conflicts, and their implications for the international student movement and anti-colonial struggles—this study seeks to highlight a critical juncture in the intertwined histories of the Iranian Left, the Iranian student movement, and global Cold War politics.
During his stay at the ZZF Potsdam Dr. Abbas Jong is visiting fellow in Dep. V: Globalizations in a Divided World.