ABSTRACT
Soon after the revolution, Iranian Kurdistan became the centre of opposition to the Islamic government. In an attempt to find out why the Kurds are amongst the most militant and persistent in their demands for ethnic and political recognition, this chapter discusses the historical, social and economic background of Kurdish society, and seeks to show that the political outlook of the Kurds was shaped to a large extent by changes in their lifestyle and social organization which, in many cases, were forced upon them by government policies
The zenith of the Kurdish national movement in Iran was reached with the establishment of the Kurdish republic in Mahabad in 1946. The republic is a major symbol of Kurdish nationalism. The Kurdish movement was not fully conscious of its nationalist aspirations, however, until the Iranian revolution of 1978±9. This chapter goes on to discuss the period after the Iranian revolution, and the relations between the Kurdish leadership and the Islamic regime. Despite their early hopes, the Kurds have not achieved autonomy since the ªrevolutionaryº government came to power in Tehran. Nevertheless, the Kurdish nationalists are destined to remain a significant political and military force in Iranian Kurdistan.
