Understanding the Downfall of the Bureaucratic Authoritarian State in the Government of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

Purpose: one of the political theories that were introduced to the Third world countries is O’Donnell’s Centralized Bureaucratic Authoritarianism. It explains the development in the Latin America, whose characteristics are the rule of bureaucrats, political and economic monopoly (centralization), depoliticization and dependent capitalism. This model of development, called the bureaucratic authoritarian politics, was introduced for the first time in Iran after the 28th Mordad coup which continued till 15th Khordad 1342. This period marks the shifting of the traditional economy of Iran to the capital economy to embrace the path of modernization and development. In fact, This essay focuses on the damages and inefficiency of the authoritarian bureaucratic government of Mohammad Reza Shah and brings out to light the reasons why his government, considering the time between 1332- 1342, failed despite possessing all the features of O’Donnell’s political theory. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this article, descriptive - analytical methods and library resources have been used for collecting data and the conclusion is inductive. Finding: This essay focuses on the damages and inefficiency of the authoritarian bureaucratic government of Shah and brings out to light the reasons why his government, considering the time between 1332- 1342, failed despite possessing all the features of O’Donnel’s political theory. Orginality/value: The value of this article comes from the fact that this politico-economic model, despite being quintessential, has degenerated in Iran owing to some pivotal factors like contradictory functions of the Pahlavi government, dependent capitalism, depoliticization, bureaucratic formalism and the upsurge in oil revenues