Analyzing the Role of Neo-patrimonialism on the Dysfunction of Modern Institutions in the Pahlavi Period (Case Study: Army and Bureaucracy)

Abstract

namely the army and the bureaucracy, and its impact on the functioning of these institutions.In Weber's analysis of the state, the traditional Iranian state was an individualistic state, based on the hierarchy and domination of patronizing relations between the ruler and the court, which ensured its continuity through a set of political strategies in accordance with patrimonial relations.The quasi-modern Pahlavi government was the first organized government in Iran to emerge based on the expansion of bureaucratic institutions and the modern army.However, the combination of the Neopatrimonialism character of this state with modern structures imported from the West led to a change in the nature and function of these structures.The hallmark of Neopatrimonialism was the combination of features of traditional patrimonialism such as individualism, the dominance of patronizing relations, and the personalization of power with the institutions of the modern state. Based on the issues mentioned, this study, based on descriptive-analytical method, seeks to answer the question that what effect has Pahlavi neopatrimonialism had on the functioning of the military and bureaucracy? Findings show that Pahlavi neopatrimonialism has affected modern institutions in the absence of strong and independent classes as a social base as well as the weakness of private property and has made them the heart of nature. In this sense, the combination of the characteristics of the traditional monarchy with the neopatrimonialism of Pahlavi in the structure of modern institutions deprived them of their main functions and weakened the capabilities of institutions such as the bureaucracy and the army.

Keywords

• iran
• first pahlavi
• second pahlavi
• modernization
• neopatrimonialism