دانشگاه شهید بهشتی مجله تاریخ ایران 2008-7357 19 1 2026 03 21 National-Religious Social Democracy in the Expression of the Jangal Movement سوسیال دمکراسی ملی مذهبی در بیان جنبش جنگل 245 268 106868 10.48308/irhj.2026.242882.1479 FA مهدی زمانی دکتری تاریخ ایران، کارشناس پژوهشگر مرکز مطالعات اقتصادی و سیاسی، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران. Journal Article 2025 12 13 Abstract The Jangal Movement, in pursuit of the genuine realization of the constitutional system, adopted a social democratic orientation. The present study examines the model of social democracy articulated within the discourse of the Jangal Movement. In other words, this research seeks to address the question of how the Jangal Movement approached social democratic thought and the nature of its engagement with it. In this study, the historical research method has been employed to collect, compile, and evaluate the reliability of the data. The findings indicate that the Jangal Movement articulated its political and social orientation through an interpretation influenced by social democratic ideology, combined with national and religious identity. Within this framework, the movement’s efforts involved a transition from the project of defending constitutionalism toward establishing an alternative structure of power based on socialist principles, nationalism, and full independence. In presenting certain programs—particularly the establishment of a republic—the movement acted in alignment with social democratic currents. Nevertheless, radical nationalism, anti-imperialism, their strategic linkage with religion, opposition to imported communism, and the advocacy of an indigenous and independent form of socialism constituted key points of divergence. Furthermore, the linguistic–discursive, intellectual–social, and political–historical contexts played a significant role in shaping this articulation of national–religious social democracy. Among the most influential factors were extensive British interventions, widespread Russian incursions that undermined national independence, the outbreak of the First World War, the government’s failure to resolve economic and political crises, escalating political tensions, discursive conflicts between traditional and modern paradigms, the ineffectiveness of prevailing political practices, the emergence and expansion of organizations with radical ideologies, and the regional spread of militant resistance. Introduction The Jangal Movement is frequently described in historical and political analyses through reductionist labels, ranging from mere nationalism and traditional religious activism to being perceived as a proxy for Russian communism. These approaches fail to comprehend the ideological complexity of this movement, overlooking the fact that the Jangalis strived to create a novel discourse by intelligently blending modern thought with Iran’s national and religious identity. While the Constitutional Revolution paved the way for the emergence of Social Democracy in Iran through groups like the "Social Democrats of Gilan and Tabriz," the Jangal Movement adopted a distinct trajectory. Rather than being passive consumers of imported ideologies, they integrated Social Democracy with radical anti-imperialist nationalism and a strategic bond with Islamic-Shia identity, formulating a specific discourse termed "National-Religious Social Democracy." Despite extensive historical research on the Jangal Movement, the analytical gap concerning this integrated ideological framework remains largely unfilled. This article argues that this discourse was not static but a dynamic process of evolution. It demonstrates how the movement, reacting to the failure of the "incomplete constitution" and escalating foreign interventions during World War I, transitioned from merely defending the constitution to pursuing a radical structural transformation. Materials And Methods This research employs the historical research method to collect, gather, and verify data. The primary sources utilized include the official organ of the movement, the *Jangal* newspaper, the manifesto of the Islamic Unity Society (*Hey’at Ettehad-e Islam*), official telegrams (including Mirza Kuchak Khan’s correspondence with Lenin and Soviet representatives), and firsthand historical accounts. By analyzing these primary documents alongside secondary literature, the study extracts the intellectual and practical components of the movement to accurately reconstruct its unique ideological framework. Result and Discussion The findings indicate that the Jangalis’ political and social orientation was a reading of Social Democratic ideology fused with national and religious identity. The evolution of the movement can be categorized into several key dimensions: "Iran" as the Central Signifier: Nationalism for the Jangalis was not merely symbolic; independence was considered the absolute prerequisite for any social reform. They viewed British imperialism and domestic treason as the primary barriers to domestic development. Consequently, their anti-imperialism was inherently linked to social justice. Representative Democracy as an Initial Goal: Initially, the movement aimed to purify and actualize the "true constitutionalism." Their manifesto contained clear liberal-democratic demands (universal suffrage, freedom of press, and equality regardless of race or religion) alongside social-democratic aspirations. However, the structural corruption of the parliamentary system eventually led them to seek an alternative power structure. Socialist Evolution and "Indigenous Socialism": While the movement's manifesto articulated standard social-democratic demands—such as an eight-hour workday, free and compulsory education, nationalization of natural resources, and labor protections—the post-Republic era witnessed a shift toward a "socialist evolution." Crucially, this was not a copy of the Russian Bolshevik model. Mirza Kuchak Khan explicitly rejected the immediate implementation of communism in Iran as impossible, advocating instead for an alliance with the petite-bourgeoisie to first defeat imperialism and establish a national government. The Jangalis firmly opposed the imported, violent communism of the Iranian Communist Party (Edalat Party), asserting that their struggle was for an "indigenous socialism" rooted in Iranian realities and Islamic principles. Conclusions The Jangal Movement represents one of the most prominent endeavors to bridge modern socio-political thought with Iran’s national and religious identity. Concluding that liberal-democratic reforms were insufficient to save the country, the movement shifted from defending the constitution to establishing an alternative power structure. While it utilized Social Democratic programs, its ultimate ideology—crystallized in the Republic of Gilan—was uniquely distinct. It was characterized by a radical anti-imperialist nationalism where socialism served national independence, a deep strategic bond with Islam (forming the movement's core identity rather than a mere tactical tool), and a categorical rejection of imported communism. Consequently, the Jangal Movement stands as a unique experiment in the history of the Iranian Left, wherein the establishment of a socialist structure was entirely defined within the framework of a national, independence-seeking revolution, marking a fundamental milestone in the evolution of "National-Religious Social Democracy." جنبش جنگل در راستای تحقق واقعی نظام مشروطه، رویکردی سوسیال‌دموکراتیک را دنبال می‌کرد. موضوع نوشتار پیشِ‌رو بررسی الگوی سوسیال‌دموکراتیک ارائه‌شده در بیان جنبش جنگل است. به عبارتی، تحقیق پیشِ‌رو در صدد پاسخ به این مسئله است که رویکرد جنبش جنگل نسبت به اندیشه سوسیال‌دموکراتیک چگونه بوده و نوع مواجهه در این برخورد به چه شکل بوده است؟ در تحقیق پیشِ‌رو، برای جمع‌آوری و گردآوری داده‌ها و سنجش صحت و سقم آن‌ها از روش تحقیق تاریخی استفاده شده است. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که جنگلی‌ها در تعیین جهت‌گیری سیاسی و اجتماعی، خوانشی متأثر از ایدئولوژی سوسیال‌دموکراسی در تلفیق با هویت ملی و مذهبی ارائه کرده‌اند. در مسیر تکاپوی گفته‌شده، گذار از پروژه دفاع از مشروطه به برپایی یک ساختار قدرت جایگزین، بر اساس اصول سوسیالیستی، ملی‌گرایی و استقلال کامل، مد نظر بود. آن‌ها در ارائه برخی برنامه‌ها و به‌ویژه تأسیس جمهوری، همسو با سوسیال‌دموکرات‌ها عمل کردند. با این حال، ملی‌گرایی، رادیکالیسم و ضد امپریالیسم، پیوند استراتژیک آن‌ها با دین، مخالفت با کمونیسم وارداتی و قائل بودن به نوعی سوسیالیسم بومی و مستقل، از جمله نقاط افتراق آن‌ها بود. ویژگی‌های فضای زبانی ـ گفتمانی و فکری ـ اجتماعی و نیز زمینه سیاسی ـ تاریخی حاکم، از جمله مداخلات همه‌جانبه انگلیسی‌ها و تجاوزات گسترده روس‌ها و در نتیجه از بین رفتن استقلال، وقوع جنگ جهانی اول، ناکامی دولت در حل بحران‌های اقتصادی و سیاسی، تشدید تنش‌های سیاسی، نزاع‌های گفتمانی سنتی و مدرن، عدم توفیق رویه‌های سیاسی، ایجاد و گسترش سازمان‌هایی با تفکرات رادیکال و گسترش اندیشه مبارزه قهرآمیز در سطح منطقه، در شکل‌گیری این بیان از سوسیال‌دموکراسیِ ملی و مذهبی تأثیرگذار بوده است.

https://irhj.sbu.ac.ir/article_106868_47254d3af5790a08214f827b50f32d84.pdf