Changing the Institution of the “vizierate” and Creating New Ministries During the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

The institution of the “vizierate” was the center of Iran's bureaucratic order throughout history. The “vizier” was at the head of the system with various titles, such as the grand chancellor, the chancellor, etc., were administering the country with heads of the bureaux assistance. Some efforts were made to renovate the Iran’s bureaucratic system from the time of Nasser al-Din Shah. These efforts were two-fold: the creation of multiple ministries and the modification of the position of the Chancellor. This was simply not possible as a change in the institution of the “vizierate”. Because the institutions resisted the change. By the end of the reign of Mozaffar al-Din Shah, numerous ministerial titles were created, while the focus of affairs remained on the chancellery, without the "multiple ministries" being transformed. The blow of the Constitutional Revolution provided the force needed to make a sudden change in the “vizierate” structure. This realization came about through a new meaning consolidation of the concept of “Vizier”. This semantic consolidation was realized through the concept of "responsible minister." The concept of "responsible minister" in the bureaucratic and political contexts of Iran, had roots in the Nasseri and Mozaffari era reformists. Following the victory of the constitution, the realization of the constitutional government was considered as the "responsibility" of the ministers. On the other hand, the turbulences of the first months after the victory of the Constitutional Revolution transformed the form of the executive system and the concept of ministry into a central issue for political activists. The unification of these two factors provided the basis for a change in the institution of the “vizierate”, the removal of numerous pre-constitutional ministerial titles, and the creation of new ministries as a new institution.