Ali Rahnema - Call to Arms: Irans Marxist Revolutionaries: Formation and Evolution of the Fadais, 1964–1976

Iranian contemporary history is full of unexplored and half-hidden episodes and periods on which Iranians are divided. The social impact and significance of these periods are often manifested in heated debates, exchanges, and ultimately judgements passed many years or decades later. If after half a century Iranians continue to talk about and debate the merits and shortcomings of Siyahkal and the subsequent actions of the Fada i guerrillas, it simply means that the period has marked the social psyche of generations. Charting the proper topography of such periods is an ongoing process. It requires the continuous effort of historians looking at such events with their respective sensitivities and outlooks, and the research material available to them. In the preliminary stages of such historiography the terrain can only be partially illuminated. The final cartography will be produced in time as more investigations are carried out and more light is shed.

The history of the Iranian Marxist revolutionaries, the Fada is, is the subject of this study whence they came, what they sought, and how they fared. The emphasis is on the formative years of those political groups, which turned to armed struggle as their method of fostering change. It traces the origins, evolution, interaction, and process by which two groups merged to form the Peoples Fada i Guerrillas in early 1971 and examines the activities of the Fada is until the summer of 1976. The chronology for this book turned out to be lengthy. The details of team formations, members, activities, armed operations, street battles, arrests, and executions are included in the chronology. I would recommend reading it before starting with the text as it provides a general impression of the context and events.

Understanding the history and impact of the Fada is necessitates answering numerous questions. What was their genealogy and lineage? What was their theoretical and ideological genesis? How did pre-Fada i circles and groups take shape, blend, and develop? What did their theoreticians think? How was the Siyahkal strike planned, carried out, and what were its outcomes? To what extent did the pre-Fada i groups transcend or retain their original identity as they morphed into the Peoples Fada