Mahabad Republic in Eastern Kurdistan in 1946
Kurdish People's Government Mahabad 22 January 1946
The Republic of Mahabad (Kurdish: کۆماری مەھاباد Komarî Mehabad; Persian: جمهوری مهاباد), was a short-lived self-governing state in present-day Iran. The Republic of Mahabad arose alongside the Azerbaijan People's Government, a similarly short-lived state.
The capital of Republic of Mahabad was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran. The state encompassed a small territory, including Mahabad and the adjacent cities of Piranshahr and Ushnaviya. The republic's foundation and demise was a part of the Iran crisis during the opening stages of the Cold War.
Iran was invaded by the Allies in late August 1941, with the Soviets controlling the north. In the absence of a central government, the Soviets attempted to attach northwestern Iran to the Soviet Union, and promoted Kurdish nationalism. From these factors resulted a Kurdish manifesto that above all sought autonomy and self-government for the Kurdish people in Iran within the limits of the Iranian state.
In the town of Mahabad, inhabited mostly by Kurds, a committee of middle-class people supported by tribal chiefs, took over the local administration. A political party called the Society for the Revival of Kurdistan (Komeley Jiyanewey Kurdistan or JK) was formed. Qazi Muhammad, head of a family of religious jurists, was elected as chairman of the party. Although the republic was not declared until December 1945, Qazi's committee administered the area efficiently for over five years until the fall of the republic.
