Preface

"We only have in mind the ideals of revolution and socialism—ideals which, in order to achieve their victorious realization, require the use of more advanced paths, tools, and weapons, learned from the bloody experiences of the past. We believe in the critique of the past—not in its absolute and idealistic negation."
(From the foreword to the book “Az Armani ke Mijoushad”, September 1985)

"…It is no longer possible to imagine a carefree existence for the Left. Can one envision a future without every current and every individual examining themselves and uncovering their share of deviation that feeds into the great current of crisis? How can one once again, without a deep-rooted critique of what has passed—of what has long been passing and continues to permeate organizations and movements in various forms, flowing with thousands of threads through the veins and skin of this whole body—avoid reproducing and repeating what has already been? How can one ask workers and the oppressed, who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods for the ideals of socialism, to forget, to accept that nothing at all has happened, that the world remains as it was?

"These are the conditions that must lead to their opposite. This is the dormant potential which, from the depths of defeat, calls out to revolution: a revolution, of course, for a new world, the world of socialism. But first, to understand that world and our struggle, for our steps to be directed toward that new world, the acknowledgment of crisis is necessary. The acknowledgment of crisis in its historical and international sense, and the summation of what happened to us and to others, and the definition of the path that must be taken toward socialism."
(Andisheh va Peykar, Issue 1, October 1987, p. 6)

"We hope this necessary step will be a beginning for strengthening and expanding the international workshop of thought on the road to freedom and equality, on the road to communism."
(From the foreword to the first volume of the book “International Marx Congress”, 1996)

"The Iranian Left, in all its diversity, has long sought freedom from the oppression of capital, and for nearly a century has been more or less familiar with socialist ideas, striving to understand, promote, propagate, and apply them… Perhaps the time has come for this current—which has seemingly been deemed to have limited influence in the course of events—to see itself as a deeply rooted social and intellectual current, as a tradition. The socialist streams of Iran, which may rightfully call themselves the modern-day Mazdakites and Qarmatites considering their historical origins, must find within themselves the capacity to experience theoretical pluralism and to establish a solid and deep-rooted tradition in the field of Marxism."
(From the foreword to the second volume of the book “International Marx Congress”, 1998, p. 6)

"The launch of the special page of Andisheh va Peykar on the Internet is a means by which we may be able to connect with our potential like-minded comrades, wherever they may be, especially in Iran. This is our hand extended to those with diverse backgrounds of struggle, those who refuse to surrender to the destructive relations of the capitalist world and who have made it their mission to critique and learn from the 150 years of communist experience, both theoretically and practically. The rich treasure of struggles and achievements of the workers’, socialist, and communist movements, and indeed the immense efforts of human societies in their quest for liberation from oppression and the establishment of more just relations, is held in our deepest respect. This treasure must—and, in our view, necessarily should—be humbly studied and taken as a model, while recognizing that none of these achievements or personalities are sacred; all can and, when needed, must be subject to critique."