Iraqi Communist Party
Iraqi Communist Party الحزب الشيوعي العراقي | |
---|---|
IMCWP | |
Colors | Red and White |
Slogan | "A free homeland and a happy people"[17] (وطن حر وشعب سعيد) |
Council of Representatives | 0 / 329 |
Party flag | |
Website | |
iraqicp.com | |
The Iraqi Communist Party (
The party joined the newly established
History
Roots of the party, 1924–1929
The history of Marxist ideology and organization in Iraq can be traced to a single individual,
1930s
In 1929, a sharp decline in international commodity prices caused a more than 40 percent drop in the value of Iraqi exports. This led to a national economic depression and massive wage reductions for many of Iraq's workers.[28] It was at this time that Communist circles began growing among young men in Basra (led by Ghali Zuwayyid) and Nasiriyyah (led by Yusuf Salman Yusuf, "Comrade Fahd"). Several circles were also growing in Baghdad, led by such notables as Asim Flayyeh, Mahdi Hashim, and Zaki Khairi . These young men had first met during the student demonstrations of 1927 and 1928.[27] These groups were brought together through the boycott of the British-owned Baghdad Electric Light Company, lasting from 5 December 1933 until 2 January 1934.[29] Finally, on 8 March 1935, Jamiyyat Dudd Al-Istimar ("The Association Against Colonialism") was founded. Three days later a manifesto was issued, calling for the unification of all workers and peasants and demanding cancellation of debts, redistribution of lands, and extensions of worker's rights, including an eight-hour day.[30] The organization, with its founders acting as regional leaders, set about publishing Iraq's first underground paper, Kifah Al-Shab ("The Struggle of the People"), and began attacking prime minister Yasin al-Hashimi, resulting in swift police crackdown and the arrests of almost all of the major leaders. By December 1935, the paper ceased to exist, having reached a circulation of about 500.[31]
After the coup of 29 October 1936, the Iraqi Communist leaders and organizers who had eluded imprisonment helped to lead the wave of peaceful demonstrations occurring across the country, such as Ghali Zuwayyid in Basra.[32] The party found supporters on the "Committee for National and Progressive Reform" (which organized popular support in Baghdad) and even secured two supporters in the newly elected parliament.[33] Bakr Sidqi, the leader of the coup and now the new power in the government, quickly issued attacks on the party, and was met with labor strikes across the nation. Sidqi responded with further crackdowns, and many of the Communist reformers fled the cause. Despite the assassination of Sidqi in 1937, the damage had been done, leaving the leadership of the party in the hands of Zaki Khairi , who sought new support for the party among the lower ranks of the military throughout the late 1930s.[34]
The Iraqi Communist Party stood firmly against
1940s
World War II posed a difficult predicament for the ICP, who looked to the Soviet Union for guidance but also vehemently opposed supporting the British Empire, whose occupation of Iraq after the 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War was partially premised on keeping supply lines open to the Soviets. After Nazi Germany launched an invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the ICP hesitated to officially lend their support to either side. While their ideological allies were the Soviet Union, the Soviets were allied with the British, and the Germans also had significant influence in Iraq during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The party eventually decided to support the Allies in May 1942, which essentially aligned them with the Iraqi monarchy and the landowners for the time being.[36]
In 1941, Yusuf Salman Yusuf became secretary general of the party, and set about revamping the organization and expanding membership among the working classes. He successfully laid the basis for the mass party of later years, and under his leadership the party became a considerable force among the Iraqi working class and a major focus for protest against British involvement in Iraqi affairs. In 1942 some of his decisions fell under criticism, and eventually split the party into several factions, each with their own newspaper.[37] In 1944 the party launched a clandestine campaign to organize the nation's industrial workers, spearheaded by lower middle class intellectuals. This led to a party conference in March 1944 and eventually to the party's first congress in 1945, at which the dissidents of 1942 were reinstated into the party ranks.[37]
Anti-British sentiment came back into the forefront of party concerns in April 1945, as the cost of living in the country grew higher and higher. The party attacked the Iraqi government with criticisms and outright condemnations after the killing of protestors in June and July 1946, and as a result Fahd was arrested and sentenced to death, later reduced to life in prison.[38] Between 1944 and 1946, major percentages (30-60%) of oil and railway workers, along with port workers in Basra, were unionized, all with ICP members as union leaders. As a result, massive strikes were organized between 1945 and 1947, demanding wage increases and the legalization of union organizations. The government initially granted wage increases, but soon dismantled the unions and arrested their leaders, contributing to Al-Wathbah, a period of urban unrest in Baghdad, beginning in January 1948. Another major issue for the party at this time was the Palestinian Question. Despite earlier support of Palestinian rights of self-determination, in July 1948 the party fell in line with Moscow's position of supporting a Zionist state.[39] The party lost many supporters among the public because of this, and many members also resigned and left the party ranks in anger.[40]
While this period brought many organizational victories for the party, it also brought devastating response from the government, due to the party's role in the al-Wathbah uprisings. Fahd and two fellow ICP members were publicly hanged in 1949, after being accused of organizing agitation from prison. The party was nearly decimated, and a period of reconstruction was to follow.[41]
1950–1958
After the devastations of the late 40s, the composition of the party went through some serious changes. The severely weakened organization was carried through the early 50s by growing
The party under Qasim, 1958–1963
The relationship between the party and Abd al-Karim Qasim was positive. After the monarchy was overthrown, ICP's Naziha al-Dulaimi was picked by Qasim as Minister of Municipalities in the 1959 cabinet as the sole representative of the ICP in his republican government. She was the first woman minister in Iraq's modern history and the first woman cabinet minister in the Arab world. [46][47] Qasim was supported in his investiture as Prime Minister in part by the Communist Party (who he had earlier lifted a ban on), giving several ranks to them and establishing slightly improved relations with the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
The party under Ba'athist rule
The Ba'athist coup of 8 February 1963 was accompanied by street fighting as Communist activists and supporters resisted the coup attempt. Fighting in Baghdad continued for three days, concentrated in the party's strongholds. When the Baath consolidated its power the ICP suffered an unprecedented campaign of suppression. Leading figures and cadres of the Party killed, including Husain al-Radi. The total number of communists killed is unknown, but was certainly in the dozens.[48]
In the mid-1960s, the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 15,000 (0.47% of the working age population of the country).[49]
In 1967, Aziz al-Hajj split from the ICP, establishing the
In 1973, ICP secretary Aziz Muhammad signed a National Action Pact with Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, forming a National Progressive Front together with the Ba'ath Party. The ICP was permitted to operate legally, publish and revive its flanking organisations. Alexei Kosygin's visit forced the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) to improve its relations with the Ba'ath Party; two ICP members were given cabinet positions and repression of the ICP ended.[50] However, this was coupled with elements of repression, and by the autumn of 1974 the party tried to increase its security through a more clandestine mode of operation. In 1978 Saddam Hussein unleashed a renewed campaign of repression against the party, including the execution of large numbers of party members. In 1979, the party broke ties with the Iraqi government.
In 1993, the Kurdish branch of the party was transformed into a semi-autonomous party, the Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq.
After the American occupation of Iraq
The Iraqi Communist Party opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 but decided to work with the new political institutions established after the occupation.
For the
2019–present
The party was supportive of the 2019-2021 Iraqi protests[52] and boycotted the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections, stating:
In light of the deepening political and social crisis in the country, with the dominant forces monopolizing political power and imposing their control over the country’s destinies and the direction of social development, the widespread corruption and the lack of prosecution for the most corrupt, the assassinations, kidnappings and intimidation, in addition to the deterioration of the living conditions of the people, especially the working people, due to the increase in poverty and unemployment, and the absence of basic services... Under these complex conditions, laden with crises and risks, talk of providing an atmosphere conducive to holding free and fair elections has become nothing but an illusion exposed by the tragic daily realities and the bitter suffering of millions. Based on this, we announced in the statement issued by the party’s Central Committee on 9th May 2021, the suspension of our participation in the elections in October.[53][excessive quote]
Party institution and symbols
The party newspaper is Tariq ash-Shaab (Path of the People). It also publishes the magazine Al-Thakafa Al-Jedida (The New Culture).
Leadership list
The following is a list of persons who served as Secretary or First Secretary of the Iraqi Communist Party, the party's primary leadership position. Given the occasional suppression of the party and resultant lapses in its activity, the position was at times vacant.
No. | Name | Assumed Position | Left Position | Ethnicity |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Amin Flayyeh | May 1935 | December 1935 | |
2 | Abdullah Mas'ud | 1941 | October 1941 | |
3 | Yusuf Salman Yusuf (Comrade Fahd) | October 1941 | February 1949 | Assyrian |
4 | Baha' al-Din Nuri | September 1949 (effectively, officially appointed only in August 1951) | April 1953 | Kurdish |
5 | Abd al-Karim Ahmad al-Daud | April 1953 | June 1954 | Arabic |
6 | Hamid Uthman | June 1954 | June 1955 | Kurdish |
7 | Husain al-Radi (Salam 'Adil) | June 1955 | February 1963 | Arab |
8 | Aziz Muhammad | August 1964 | 1993 | Kurdish |
9 | Hamid Majid Mousa | 1993 | 2016[3] | Arab |
10 | Raid Fahmi (Abu Rawa)[3] | December 2016[3] | current | Arab |
Election results
Election year | # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
+/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 2005 | 69,920 | (#7)
0,83% |
2 / 275
|
New | Opposition |
Dec 2005 | 977,325 | (#4)
8,02% |
1 / 275
|
1 | Government under affiliation with Iraqi National List |
2010 | – | – | – | – | – |
2014 | 12.626 | 0,10% | 1 / 328
|
– | – |
2018 | 1,500,862 | (#1)
14,38% |
13 / 329 [55]
|
12 | Government under affiliation with Alliance towards Reforms (Saairun)
|
2021 | Boycotted[56] | 0 / 329
|
12 | Extra-parliamentary |
See also
- Al-Ansar (Iraq)
- Ar-Rashid revolt
- Co-ordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain
- Fahd's Revolutionary Organization
- Rayat ash-Shaghilah
- Yusuf Salman Yusuf
- Communist Action Organization in Iraq
- Leninist Group in the Iraqi Communist Movement
- Voice of the Iraqi People
References
Citations
- ^ "سمير عادل - سقطات حميد مجيد موسى - سكرتير الحزب الشيوعي العراقي،". الحوار المتمدن.
- ^ "حوار مع رائد فهمي سكرتير الحزب الشيوعي العراقي: تحالف شيوعي إسلامي "عابر للطائفية" في العراق - Qantara.de". Qantara.de موقع قنطرة للحوار مع العالم الإسلامي ـ. 5 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Data". www.rudaw.net. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Red flag over Babylon: a brief overview of the Iraqi Communist Party". libcom.org.
- ^ Вадим Васильевич Кортунов (1983). Справочник пропагандиста-международника. Политиздат. p. 189.
- ^ ISBN 9782351592618– via OpenEdition Books.
- ^ "Communist Party". communist-party.org.uk.
- ^ a b "من نحن". www.iraqicp.com.
- ^ "Interview with the Iraqi Communist Party". 18 July 2003.
- ^ "عبدالحسين شعبان يفتح ملفات الشيوعيين وعراق الإسلام السياسي". MEO. 17 March 2018. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "برنامج تحالف "سائرون" رقم القائمة 156". www.iraqicp.com.
- ^ "Iraqi Communists and Shia Sadrists unite to tackle corruption and sectarianism". Middle East Eye.
- Scarecrow Press. pp. 170–171.
- ^ "الحزب الشيوعي العراقي اتحاد الشعب يعلن خارطة طريق للخروج من الازمة السياسية العراقية". www.alwatanvoice.com.
- ^ Saleh, Ibrahim. "iraq's civil democratic alliance celebrates four new MPs". Niqash.
- ^ "مكونات التحالف المدني الديمقراطي-الأخبار - رابطة المرأة العراقية". iraqiwomensleague.com.
- ISBN 9781849041010.
- ^ "كۆمیتەی خورماتووی حزب، 83 ساڵەی دامەزراندنی حزبی شیوعی عێراق و كوردستانیان پیرۆز كرد" (in Kurdish). Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ "Barzanî: Pêwîst e Hikûmeta nû ya Iraqê li ser bingeha Şeraket, Lihevkirin û Wekheviyê be" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ "Iraq - The Iraqi Communists and Baathist Iraq". countrystudies.us.
- ^ Ali Abel Sadah (24 April 2013). "Maliki Falls Short of Majority In Early Election Returns". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "First female Communist elected in Iraq's holiest city calls for 'social justice'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ Shafaaq. "First female Communist elected in Iraq's holiest city calls for 'social justice'". Shafaq. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 393.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 341.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 396.
- ^ a b Batatu 1978, p. 399.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 411.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 431.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 433.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 438.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 439.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 442.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 445.
- OCLC 975005824.
- ^ Salucci 2005, p. 23.
- ^ a b Salucci 2005, p. 24.
- ^ Salucci 2005, p. 26.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 599.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 603.
- ^ Salucci 2005, p. 29.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 701.
- ^ Salucci 2005, p. 30.
- ^ Batatu 1978, p. 693.
- ^ Salucci 2005, p. 31.
- ISBN 978-977-416-498-9, retrieved 8 March 2020
- ^ "Dr. Naziha Jawdet Ashgah al-Dulaimi | Women as Partners in Progress Resource Hub". pioneersandleaders.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ Tareekh al-Iraq - Sheikh Qasim al Nuami, Pages 65-66
- ^ Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H.. Communism and Economic Development, in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 62, No. 1. (Mar. 1968), pp. 122.
- ^ Tripp 2010, pp. 200–201.
- ^ "Iraqi communists celebrate change". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Iraq's communists given new life by protests". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Statement of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party: No Participation in Elections that is not Gateway to Desired Change". www.iraqicp.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "الثقافةالجديدة". Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "سكرتير اللجنة المركزية للحزب الشيوعي : يكشف عدد مقاعده التي حصل عليها ضمن سائرون".
- ^ "Statement of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party: No Participation in Elections that is not Gateway to Desired Change". www.iraqicp.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
Works cited
- ISBN 0-86356-520-4.
- Salucci, Ilario (2005). A people's history of Iraq: the Iraqi Communist Party, Workers' movements and the Left, 1924-2004. Chicago: Haymarket Books. ISBN 1-931859-14-0.
- ISBN 978-0-521-52900-6.
Further reading
- Ismael, Tareq. The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Iraq. Cambridge University Press (2008).
- Franzén, Johan. Red Star Over Iraq: Iraqi Communism Before Saddam. Columbia University Press, 2011. ISBN 0-231-70230-2 (Reviewed in The Montreal Review)
External links
- ICP site (in Arabic)
- YouTube
- Tariq al-Shaab, ICP's official newspaper
- Iraqi Letter (English)