Kurdish rebellions and political movements in the early 20th century have often been portrayed as the actions of a nationalist opposition. However, by using the myriad British administrative primary sources along with secondary accounts of the period and relying on the works of Benedict Anderson and Ernest Gellner I argue that prior to the formation of the Mahabad Republic in 1946 in Iran there were no Kurdish movements or institutions that were nationalistic in character and popular in scope. Instead, virtually all Kurdish rebellions before 1946 were violent reactions by local patriarchs against newly imposed state structures. Nationalist political language was certainly present before 1946 and tribal or patrimonial politics are still incredibly important in Southern Kurdistan today, but Mahabad marked a historical turning point that put nationalist ideals at the center of Kurdish popular politics. I will then more briefly outline the history of Iraqi Kurdish politics after 1947 to show the notably increased presence of nationalist sentiment with a reduction of tribalism and regionalism. The legacy of the republic continues through the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), an organization created in Mahabad that dominates Iraqi Kurdish politics to this day.