Mahnaz Zahirinejad - Faculty Member of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

The present research seeks to analyze the weaknesses of the middle class in its interactions with state and consequently its role in a transition towards democracy. Tostudy the issue, it should be considered that multiple interacting components determined the middle classes interactions with the state in Iran. This is because the history and evolution of the Iranian middle class is quite different from that of the middle classes in more developed countries. In Iran since the early ۱۹۷۰s the effect of increasing oil exports and higher per capita income tended to result in the formation of a rentier state and the rise of a middle class. However, with high oil income and the economy largely under the control of the state, this middle class had little input in terms of the competitiveness of the economy, given that the state was so powerful and integral at all levels of the economy, with distribution of rents the main function of the rentier state, undermining even nascent linkages between the people and the state. This made the middle class economically vulnerable and dependent on the state. The negative effects of the state dominated economy (rentier state) affected the middle class in a political perspective as well. This is because, the state is capable of preventing the formation of social groups and democratic parties and institutions, making it difficult for the middle class to push for reforms and change. Therefore, middle class vulnerability in its interaction with the state was also due to its view of democratic values. Therefore, given the nature of statedominated power and a vulnerable middle class, it can be hypothesized that the middle class compromised over democracy with the new state because of its economic vulnerability, fear of socio-political instability and its ambiguous approach towards democratic values.

middle class, state, Iran, democracy.