Tudeh Party activities in Khorasan schools 1942-1957

This article discusses the promotional and recruitment activities carried out in the high schools of Khorasan by the Provincial Committee of the Tudeh Party between 1941-1956. Data was collected from archival records, supplemented by library resources. Because of the heavily religious atmosphere of the region and the lack of a working class, communist propaganda enjoyed little success among mainstream society. Therefore, the Committee focused on high school teachers, students and the education system. The Committee’s activities are divided into three parts: from 1942 to 1948; From 1951 to 1953, and from 1953 to 1956, when its efforts terminated as the result of public distrust. Furthermore, prosecution by security forces limited the success of party activists. Many of them, as a result, withdrew from the party. Those few who persisted in their efforts lost their jobs. After the establishment of SAVAK, the party sympathizers did not find a chance to renew their activities.