ABSTRACT
The governmental violence of which the communist activists were always the preferred targets became a factor of cohesion that made them forget their ideological differences. The Iranian communist movement could not, however, remain independent of international communism and had to join the international revolutionary party. Communism in Iran has been linked to the Tudeh since its official inception in September, 1941. Even after its organization was dismantled in the 1950s, it continued to mark Iranian political life. Relations with the Soviet Union were an important controversial point in the Iranian communist movement's history in general, and a decisive factor in the life of Tudeh in particular. A true communist must know how to adapt Marxism to the environment in which he lives. An openly communist Tudeh would undoubtedly have been swept away by both the imperial regime and the clergy.
