The Representation of Contexts and Influential Factors on the Constitutional Movement

Existence of social and financial insecurities, legal instabilities and lawlessness had led to the dissatisfaction of people in the Qajar era. In addition to this, the expansion of relationships between Iran and Europe in 13th AH and Iran’s defeat in war with Russia had caused extensive developments in financial and cultural structures. Innovative reformist thoughts came into existence. The continuity of reformist processes in the following eras provided the necessary preparations for the appearance of civilized institutions and innovative intellectual phenomena such as the publication of governmental and nongovernmental newspapers, school construction, translation and compilation of new books in Nasserian and Mozaffari periods. These developments caused modernistic thoughts and appearance of new, intellectual and modernistic strata which had devoted themselves to produce change in political, social and cultural structures. They also attempted to integrate these changes with the conventional thought of Iran’s society. The progression of this approach had finally led to the establishment of the constitutional movement. Therefore, the constitutional movement is considered a turning point in Iranian’s struggles. It is a major resurrection of Iran’s society and the beginning of creation and expansion of law, justice and social equality. In this study, a descriptive and analytical approach has been used to investigate the internal and external causing factors of the constitutional movement, its reasons and states from a historical viewpoint.