The modern revolutions of Iran: Civil society and state in the modernization process

This paper concerns two major transformations in the modern history of Iran: the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1909 and the Islamic Revolution of 1977–1979. It focuses on the interplay of clergy, bazaris and state in making the two modern revolutions if Iran. The paper addresses a core question: why the clergy did not take political power in the Constitutional Revolution when Iran was a traditional society, yet succeed in doing so in a modern Iran (1977–1979)? It concerns largely questions of continuity and change of social institutions during a period of rapid authoritative modernization that significantly influenced the constellation of power between civil society and state} As a result of rapid modernization, traditional civil society, which was based on strong ties between the Shi'i clergy and the bazaris, drastically change and marginalized. Modern socio‐economic and administrative developments and the creation of new social groups, in turn, contributed to the formation of a modern civil society which periodically played a significant role in the political life of Iran. Socio‐economic changes brought about by Pahlavi Shahs’ (1924–1979) through rapid and authoritative modernization created new urban social groups who became important factors in making the Islamic Revolution of 1977–1979. In particular, the urban marginal groups, ‘the dispossessed’, engaged infrequent confrontations with authorities, and provided the radical clergy with a ‘social army’ for revolutionary mobilization and dominant influence.