Iran: A splintered revolution, a tragic ending ’The Republic of Mahabad’ 1946

Today's voicemail is taken from the poem "2+2=1" penned by Qazi Muhammad, 1946.

During the wartime occupation of Iran, the Kurds of Iran led by the revolutionary figure of Qazi Muhammad, set up the Republic of Kurdistan, with its centre as Mahabad. For the Kurds, this was the first implemented Kurdish nationalist aspiration - they set up an autonomous zone with the aim to bring in the Kurds of Iran under a regional Kurdish government.

It is both a remarkable and tragic chapter of 20th century Kurdistan, one that is retold to Kurdish children by their parents and suppressed from official narratives from the Iranian regime. In this episode, I've aimed to outline how the Republic formed, the particular type of nationalism by the early 40s, what the Republic achieved in 10 months, how it came to a terrible end and the general political consequences for the Kurds of Iran up until the present day.

Select audio at the beginning of episode: All credits go to the right owners, I own nothing. No copyright intended.

References:

https://kmmk-ge.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Executions.pdf

Jwaideh, Wadie. The Kurdish national movement: Its origins and development. Syracuse University Press, 2006.

McDowall, David. A modern history of the Kurds. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.

Vali, Abbas. Kurds and the state in Iran: The making of Kurdish identity. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.

Abdulaziz, Dr Omar, The Republic of Kurdistan and the leader Qazi Muhammed, 2016. (Kurdish original copy)