Historical Analysis of the Situation of Industry in Iran

The purpose of this study is to investigate the situation of industry in different historical periods in Iran. Based on the findings, before the industrial revolution, Iran in Safavids dynasty had taken great strides, especially in the textile industry but during the Afsharid and Zand, there was no improvement in the industrial activities in Iran. During the Qajar era that the efficiency of the Britain's industrial economy had been apparent different countries were looking to replicate the experience in England, Some measures for expansion of various fields of industry occurred. But Iran had no a clear policy for industrialization and a negligible amount of the gross domestic product was obtained by industrial activities. In the Pahlavi period, the first real steps for industrialization of Iran were taken and substantial investments in the industrial sector took place. This trend continued during the Islamic Republic and the share of industry in GDP and employment, significantly increased. But the industry in two recent periods is consumer, dependent on oil incomes and the lack of competitiveness in the international arena.