The Development of State- Sponsored Militias in Iran during 1941 and 1953: A Case Study of the Jungle Party

The formation and further development of state- sponsored militias has always been an important issue in investigation of the complex relationship between states and nations. Such forces have always transgressed some legal bounds and regulations and hampered the process of democratization in any society. In Iran, the Party of Jungle is one of such forces. Many believe that the formation of this party was only a reactionary local response against the Soviet invasion of Mazandaran Province; however their affiliation to the 1953 Iranian Coup d’etat their presence cannot vindicate such simplistic reading of their significance in Iran’s cotemporary history. The present article asks the following research question: Under what national and international set of circumstances did the Party of Jungle, as a state- sponsored militia, develop? For answering the question, the article utilizes the historical research method and an interpretative plan. The findings of the article indicate that in the semi-democratic post- World War II period, some factions of the state and the political elites fought against any ideological and reformist opposition because they feared the loss of their interests. For gaining this objective, they sought help of those local forces that can infiltrate in public and their communities. Eventually, the state alongside the local infiltrators facilitated the emergence of the Party of Jungle. Due to some internal problems of the party and the factional increase of power concentration, a new and more effective organization was formed and was called the KOOK Organization.