Structural - Institutional Approach to Explaining Instable Coalitions of Constitutionalists

The Constitutional revolution in Iran at the late Qajarid dynasty resulted from a coalition of middle classes; however, it failed to be consolidated. This paper applies the structural-institutional approach to explain the instability of constitutional achievements and fragile coalitions between the revolutionaries. Five structural-institutional factors will be discussed as the causes of fragile coalitions. Analytical narrative is the method for explaining events. A matrix of institutional arrangements including imbalanced class structure, economic deficiencies, world-system situation, and incapacitated state were identified as the main factors that created instability. But the effect of weakly founded political institutions of constitutional period was the most important factor of the fragile coalitions, which resulted in conflicts between the political actors, loose agreements, and lack of structured system of decision making and achieving common aims.