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Call to Arms: Iran's Marxist Revolutionaries: Formation and Evolution of the Fada'is, 1964–1976
On 8 February 1971, Marxist revolutionaries attacked the gendarmerie outpost at the village of Siyahkal in Iran’s Gilan province. Barely two months later, the Iranian People’s Fada’i Guerrillas officially announced their existence and began a long, drawn-out urban guerrilla war against the Shah’s regime.
In Call to Arms , Ali Rahnema provides a comprehensive history of the Fada’is, beginning by asking why so many of Iran’s best and brightest chose revolutionary Marxism in the face of absolutist rule. He traces how radicalised university students from different ideological backgrounds morphed into the Marxist Fada’is in 1971, and sheds light on their theory, practice and evolution. While the Fada’is failed to directly bring about the fall of the Shah, Rahnema shows they had a lasting impact on society and they ultimately saw their objective achieved.
In Call to Arms , Ali Rahnema provides a comprehensive history of the Fada’is, beginning by asking why so many of Iran’s best and brightest chose revolutionary Marxism in the face of absolutist rule. He traces how radicalised university students from different ideological backgrounds morphed into the Marxist Fada’is in 1971, and sheds light on their theory, practice and evolution. While the Fada’is failed to directly bring about the fall of the Shah, Rahnema shows they had a lasting impact on society and they ultimately saw their objective achieved.
- GenresIranHistoryNonfiction
528 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 13, 2021
WOW. I was long anticipating this book to come out, and it did not disappoint. When people think about 20th century Iran, they often think of the 1953 coup against Mossadegh and the Revolution of 1979. But there was a tremendous struggle taking place in between those two dates against the Shah's regime. And this book takes you into the life of the revolutionary marxist guerrilla fighters to understand exactly how the revolution came to be. It strikes the perfect balance of narrative/biography of the leaders of the movement and historical text. The connections I was making between them and other revolution(arie)s kept me incredibly engaged and inspired.
August 1, 2024
As it is with most second-generation Iranian-American, I do not hear many stories of the Iranian Revolution or its lead-up or its aftermath from my family. One can imagine why. We know what happened at the end of the day.
I didn’t pick up this book to learn about the end of the story - every Iranian-American’s life is shaped by the last forty-five years of it, and so we already know so much. It is deeply pressed into our consciousness. From ostracization at home to distant relatives and chaos back in Iran, our lives are steeped in this history. Instead of picking up this book for the end of the story, I picked it up for the story that was forgotten, and for part of the story of ‘what could have been’. I most certainly received what I expected.
To begin with, the two noticeable flaws of the book. The first is that there is a lull, in my opinion, from the phenomenal first chapters discussing the justification for armed struggle and the Siyahkal Operation. Past chapter 17, history and relevancy seems to pick up again, and we delve right into the political on-goings in the 8 years leading up to 1979. While this lull does not significantly damper the quality of the book, it does show, at least to me, that this book is only a complimentary piece to a broader analysis and history of the Iranian Revolution.
I did not read this book as a complimentary piece - I read it in isolation of other texts and in isolation of a deeper understanding and perspective of the Revolution (past the understanding and perspective that an Iranian-American might have). And for the second flaw: it reads much like an academic book, meant for those deeply involved in studying Iranian history and those who seek details that go as far as the names of members of small groups which were only ever affiliated with the Fada’i guerrillas. It will draw on a tad too much in certain areas, an example being (at least outside of the propaganda section in chapter 22) the repetitive chapters 21 & 22 which delve into the ideological shift that Bijan Jazani had in the mid-seventies following Siyahkal.
Despite these flaws, the book is so well written and incredibly detailed, and such an indisputably important resource on the topic (especially for non-Persian speakers/readers) that it warrants immediate consideration from those interested in the Iranian Revolution and the political currents that lead to it. There are so many points of this book that shine - from those I’ve mentioned earlier, to Jazani’s impact in prison (chapter 23, which serves as a cumulation and final note on his wavering commitment to armed struggle which is discussed thoroughly up until this point), the ‘Hamid Ashraf factor’ chapter 19), and the ‘bird’s-eye view’ of the Iranian armed struggle from 1971 to 1976 (chapter 26). The chapters discussing the activities of Iranian university students were so particularly interesting that I wish I could read a book by this author just about them. The conclusion was a perfect summation of the story and emotion of Iranian political history, and a perfect bow on the story of some of the revolutionaries who sacrificed everything for the dreams of a better future - even if they never got to see it.
Kudos to the author. This is truly a great book and I am glad I picked it up. May we all take even just a bit of bravery from the Little Black Fish and strive for the end of the river, even if we never get to swim in the sea.
[4.5/5.0]
I didn’t pick up this book to learn about the end of the story - every Iranian-American’s life is shaped by the last forty-five years of it, and so we already know so much. It is deeply pressed into our consciousness. From ostracization at home to distant relatives and chaos back in Iran, our lives are steeped in this history. Instead of picking up this book for the end of the story, I picked it up for the story that was forgotten, and for part of the story of ‘what could have been’. I most certainly received what I expected.
To begin with, the two noticeable flaws of the book. The first is that there is a lull, in my opinion, from the phenomenal first chapters discussing the justification for armed struggle and the Siyahkal Operation. Past chapter 17, history and relevancy seems to pick up again, and we delve right into the political on-goings in the 8 years leading up to 1979. While this lull does not significantly damper the quality of the book, it does show, at least to me, that this book is only a complimentary piece to a broader analysis and history of the Iranian Revolution.
I did not read this book as a complimentary piece - I read it in isolation of other texts and in isolation of a deeper understanding and perspective of the Revolution (past the understanding and perspective that an Iranian-American might have). And for the second flaw: it reads much like an academic book, meant for those deeply involved in studying Iranian history and those who seek details that go as far as the names of members of small groups which were only ever affiliated with the Fada’i guerrillas. It will draw on a tad too much in certain areas, an example being (at least outside of the propaganda section in chapter 22) the repetitive chapters 21 & 22 which delve into the ideological shift that Bijan Jazani had in the mid-seventies following Siyahkal.
Despite these flaws, the book is so well written and incredibly detailed, and such an indisputably important resource on the topic (especially for non-Persian speakers/readers) that it warrants immediate consideration from those interested in the Iranian Revolution and the political currents that lead to it. There are so many points of this book that shine - from those I’ve mentioned earlier, to Jazani’s impact in prison (chapter 23, which serves as a cumulation and final note on his wavering commitment to armed struggle which is discussed thoroughly up until this point), the ‘Hamid Ashraf factor’ chapter 19), and the ‘bird’s-eye view’ of the Iranian armed struggle from 1971 to 1976 (chapter 26). The chapters discussing the activities of Iranian university students were so particularly interesting that I wish I could read a book by this author just about them. The conclusion was a perfect summation of the story and emotion of Iranian political history, and a perfect bow on the story of some of the revolutionaries who sacrificed everything for the dreams of a better future - even if they never got to see it.
Kudos to the author. This is truly a great book and I am glad I picked it up. May we all take even just a bit of bravery from the Little Black Fish and strive for the end of the river, even if we never get to swim in the sea.
[4.5/5.0]
March 21, 2021
The author have tried really hard to gather information to write this book! I take my hat off to him as there are little materials available on this subject. I think while Shah was busy destroying the armed guerrillas, he took his eyes off the Islamist!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews