Abstract EN:

The socio-political movement in iran, which led to the revolution in 1979, and hence to the establishment of a new government based upon islamic law came as a complete surprise not only to iranian political scientists but also to those within international circles, who found themselves faced with an unprecedented phenomenon in terms of contemporary political development. In order to understant the structure of socio-political power and the influence of religion upon the process of government, it in necessary to take in consideration the development of the relationship between the state and the remaining components of society, which has played a predominant role in iran's political history. By way of both a retrospective historical approach and socio-political analysis of the above relationship, the aim of this study is to clarify the elements which have favoured the gradual preeminance of the clergy in the political sphere, leading to its eventual monopolisation of the state machinery. Our study demonstrates that with hindsight observations based upon the socio-political movements at the end of the 19 th century, up until the fall of the mossadegh government in the fifties, could in fact predict the nature of this latest development in iran.