Persian Constitutional Monarchy of 1906

The subject of this study is the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1906. This dissetation, entitled ?Persian Constitutional Monarchy of 1906? constists of five parts, including introduction and conclusion. The Persian Constitutional Revolution, as one of the foremost breakpoint in modern Iranian history, has a base which integrates and re-produces the essential parametres of traditional and modern identities in Iran. Currently, the ongoing tendency for associating the debates on different political and social matters with this historical event is an indicator for the importance of the Persian Constitutional Revolution. In the nineteenth century, the Western states, each realized her own ?industrial revolution?, accelerated their colonialist activities on Iran. During the same period, Persian state was performing economical problems and successive millitary defeats. Furthermore, Persian society had some important social problems like unamenable applications of Shahs, arbitrary punishment and injustice. Persian society, with the participation of nearly all social classes, had performed intense activities to deal with these political, social, economical, administrative and educational challenges. In this way, Persian elites tried to use the experiences of not only Islamic societies like Ottomans, Egypt and India but also non-muslim societies like Russia, Japan and especially Western ones. The most effective platforms and instruments used to disseminate these ideas to the nation were media, Shabnâme, madrasahs, faramasons (faramushhaneha) and modern schoolls. During the nineteenth century, Persian society had objected to the government several times, but there was not a clear demand for Constitutional Monarchy before the sit down strike at the British embassy. These objections created a social change and transformation which cosntituted a significant base for the promugation of Constitutional Monarchy. In the course of these developments, certain intellectuals and clerics dicussed some ideas such as constitution and parliament, bu without a clear mention for the Constitutional Monarchy. The common ideas claimed before and after Constitutional Revolution were centered on the abolishment of priviliges granted to foreigners, establishment of courthouses, termination of arbitrary punishment and discharge of despotic administrators. The demand for Constitutional Monarchy, as a form government, was expressed during the sit down strike at the British embassy. This strike functioned as a shcool for the activists. As the other nations, performing constitutional developments at the second half of the the nineteenth century and the beginning of twentieth century, the ideological leadership of constitutional government was performed by intellectuals those advocated the idea of modernization. However, the charismatic leaders of this process were the clerics who entitled as ?merci-i taklit? and ?velâyet-i fakîh?. The social which class most benefited and gathered the power by proclomation of Constitutional Monarchy was merchants who directly participated and funded the the revolution. Though controversial how far it carried out democratization in Iran, condering the results, Persian society achieved many significant outcomes with the Constitutional Revolution. The beginning of constitutional process and establishment of a parliament consisting of representatives of nation are the most important results of Constitutional Revolution. However, the foundation of courthouses, a social claim expressed at nearly all platforms colud not realized at required level. Keyword(s): Persian Constitutional Revolution, 1906, Constitutional Monarchy, Iran, Clerics/Ulama.