The New Middle Class Perspective and its Role in the Political Development of Iran

In the last three decades after Islamic revolution، the middle class has shown effort to assume more and role to play in the various sectors of socio-politics. However، this class due to its historical dependency on government and its identification with the autocratic rule of Pahlavi the second in the course of modernization spearheaded by Pahlavi''s regime، has not been able so far to clean itself from stigma of having associated with the overthrown Pahlavi regime. This lingering stigma has hampered any effort by this class to play its role as the engine of mobility of political development. As the result of its sociopolitical ineffectiveness this class has become alienated and too marginalized to be able to play role in sociopolitical arena. For the building of middle class identity the first step must be the smaller government and thereafter the effort should be directed toward the building of civil society in support the causes of this class.