Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
10.22034/jiiph.2026.72715.2641
Abstract
The question of national identity and the ways in which threats to it were defined constitute an important subject in the modern political history of Iran. During the Pahlavi era, particularly from the 1960s onward, the government, operating within the context of the Cold War and global ideological rivalries, regarded leftism and communism as major threats to Iran’s national security and identity. This perception persisted despite the fact that, after 1953, leftist movements had become organizationally weak and fragmented as a result of political repression, internal divisions, and ideological disputes. Employing a historical research method and documentary analysis, this study examines the relationship between the Pahlavi state’s security perceptions and the actual condition of leftist movements during the 1960s and 1970s. The research draws primarily on official government documents preserved at the National Library and Archives of Iran, supplemented by historical studies and the memoirs of political activists. Its central question is how the Pahlavi government, within the framework of its official conception of national identity, constructed leftism as a fundamental threat. The study hypothesizes that the perceived threat posed by leftism was shaped less by the actual capabilities of leftist organizations than by the state’s security mindset, particularly in the context of the Cold War, concerns over Soviet influence, and efforts to maintain political centralization and preserve Iran’s regional position. The findings demonstrate that the Pahlavi government did not perceive this threat merely as a consequence of domestic organizational activities; rather, it interpreted leftism in relation to Soviet influence, regional developments, and the broader global rivalry between the Eastern and Western blocs. Consequently, the struggle against communism was not confined to the security and military spheres but also extended into the cultural, educational, media, and identity-related domains.
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