The Tudeh Party and Iran’s Cultural Exchanges with the Soviet Union

Cultural exchanges between Iran and the Soviet Union began in 1941, after Soviet forces entered Iran during World War II, but continued after Soviet forces left Iran and throughout the era of Muhammar Reza Shah Pahlavi (1941-1978). These exchanges covered a significant number of areas including: translation and publication of books in both Persian and Russian; collaboration between universities; theatrical and musical performances; creation of Persian-language reading rooms and libraries; athletics, theatre, movies, and even tourism. During the 1940s and early 1950s, the Tudeh Party had a great influence on Iranian institutions and members of the intelligentsia including cabinet members, members of Majles, scientists and academics working at various research and cultural institutions and these exchanges served to expand Soviet influence in Iran. This article will look at unpublished documents in the National Archives of Iran, and the Archives of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, as well as other sources, to explore the extent of these cultural exchanges and the dramatic influence they had on the thinking of a generation of Iranian intellectuals.