Peykar Party Explained

Peykar Party
Founder:	Khosrow Eghbal^[1]
Merged:	Motherland Party^[2]
Position:	Centrism^[3]
Ideology:	Iranian nationalism
Country:	Iran

Peykar Party (Persian: حزب پیکار|lit=Battle Party) was a small nationalist organization in Iran during 1940s. The party denounced the reign of Reza Shah and it condemned the presence of the Allies on Iranian soil.

According to L. P. Elwell-Sutton, the party was composed of intellectuals, and at some time was sympathized by figures such as Hossein Ala and Isa Sedigh.^[4]

One of its organs "showed inclinations in favor of Nazi Germany", while the party "tended towards France, and against the soviet Union".^[3] In 1943 a weekly newspaper entitled Mard-i Imruz which had been launched by Mohammad Masud in 1942 became the official media outlet of the party.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: BAHĀR (2). Encyclopædia Iranica. Bibliotheca Persica Press. Esmāʿil. Jassim. Yarshater. Ehsan. Ehsan Yarshater. August 1, 2016.
2. Book: Political parties of the Middle East and North Africa. Frank Tachau. 1994. 9780313266492. 164. Greenwood Press. National Party (Hezb-e Mihan).
3. The Political Parties in Iran between 1941-1947, with particular emphasis on the Left- wings Parties. Geopolitics Quarterly. Najleh Khandagh. Iranian Association of Geopolitics. Winter 2010. 6. 4. 154–166.
4. 4322041. Political Parties in Iran 1941-1948. Middle East Journal. L. P.. Elwell-Sutton. Middle East Institute. January 1949. 3. 1. 45–62.
5. Laurence Paul Elwell-Sutton. Laurence Paul Elwell-Sutton. The Iranian Press, 1941-1947. Iran. 1968. 6. 97. 4299603.