Withdrawal of the Middle Class from Socio-Political Scene in a Democratizing Iran

Delving upon the significance of the traditional middle class and the rise of the modern middle class in the modern history of Iran, one can obviously realize their prominent roles in democratizing movements like Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911) and the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The former had a tight connection with the ulama whose undeniable power had earned them high socio-political status, which enabled them to put massive pressure on the ruling regimes. The latter, known as intelligentsia, that had a remarkable rise particularly during and after Reza Shah's period, made a great effort in modernizing Iran. Needless to say, both groups played significant roles in pro-democratic party of National Front. However, their prominence is deemed to have faded in post-revolution era. Since democratization is a socio-political will and structure, and hence, it requires the participation of socio-political groups, this research aims to examine the elements that have weakened the middle class and lessened its participation in democratizing Iran and to find the obstacles, if any, they have been facing with.