Davud Monshizadeh

Davood Monshizaadeh (Persian داوود منشی‌زاده; born 29 August 1914 in Tehran – died 1989 in Sweden) was the founder of Sumka (the "Iranian National Socialist Workers Party") and a supporter of Nazi ideology in Germany during World War II and in Iran after the war.

Background

Monshizadeh helped form the Sumka in 1952. He was a former SS member and a professor at Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich and was deeply influenced by Jose Ortega y Gasset's philosophy, even translating many of his books (which he hoped would serve as founding principles for the party), from Spanish to Persian. Monshizadeh would later serve as a Professor of Persian Studies at Alexandria University and Uppsala University. Monshizadeh was known as an admirer of Hitler and aped many of the ways of the Nazi Party (such as their militarism and salute), as well as attempting to approximate Hitler's physical appearance.

Chronology

• 1931 - Sent to France by Iranian government to study
• 1937 - Received a degree in literature and moved to Germany
• 1938 - Started his studies in Germany
• 1939 - Monshizadeh and Bahram Shahrokh (the future Iranian Propaganda Director) started working for the Persian program of Nazi Germany’s Deutsche Radio.
• 1940 - He started writing articles for Das Reich, the official newspaper of the German National Socialist party
• 1941 - He worked with various organizations in Nazi Germany
• 1943 - Achieved his doctorate in philosophy and literature
• 1945 - During the Battle of Berlin, he fought as a member of the Nazi Foreign Legion. He was injured and hospitalized (off and on) till 1947.
• 1947 - Taught Iranology and Persian language in University of Munich
• 1950 - He started teaching Persian in Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
• 1952 - Along with Manouchehr Amir Mokri and Hussein Zarabi, he established Sumka, which played a role against oil nationalization in Iran.
• 1953 - Monshizadeh was “Unofficially Exiled” to Europe by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
• 1989 - He died in Sweden.