ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how and why secular leftist groups were eliminated from the competition for power. It provides an alternative approach that encompasses both the strengths and the weaknesses of the Left. The chapter analyses the underlying theoretical, political, and practical framework within which the entire Left has operated, notwithstanding the tactical differences among groups. The experience of the Left in Iran is incomprehensible outside the context of overall economic, political, and ideological conditions, including the history and development of leftist political activity, the structure of production and distribution in Iran, and the resulting class forces and social relations. The National Union of Women, organized by Fedaii women, was more involved with political questions than with issues of direct and immediate relevance to Iranian women of various class and cultural backgrounds. The Iranian Revolution underscores the importance of the democratic-socialist project rather than the subsumption of diverse interests, needs, and aspirations under the rubric of nationalism and anti-imperialism.
