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An Oasis of Radicalism: The Labor Movement in Abadan in the 1940s

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2022

Nimrod Zagagi
Nimrod Zagagi*
Affiliation:
Tel Aviv University
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Abstract

The history of the oil industry’s labor movement during the 1940s has often focused on the Tudeh’s ability to act overtly and rally the masses of workers. Thus, more often than not, the importance of union underground activity and the role played by the masses of ordinary oil workers during times of political and military repression, is overlooked. This article examines how the particular setting of the oil town of Abadan influenced motivations of oil workers and the dynamics between them and the Tudeh. As the article aims to show, these elements were an essential part in the ability of the labor movement in Abadan to remain viable and reemerge in force in the early 1950s as part of the oil nationalization movement.

Keywords

Oil WorkersAbadanTudeh, Labor HistoryOil NationalizationOil TownKhuzestanLabor Movement
Type
Articles
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 53 , Issue 5-6 , December 2020 , pp. 847 - 872
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2020

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