Organizational and Spiritual Power of the Clergy in Iran Studying the Change during the Transition from the Qajar to the Pahlavi Dynasties

The ability of influencing others is based on two foundations: subjective and objective. We name the subjective aspect the 'spiritual power' and the objective one, the 'organizational power'. During the transition from the Qajar to the Pahlavi, both spiritual and organizational powers of the Shia clergy changed. During the change in its spiritual power, the clergy encountered a new rival that is 'nationalism'. The change on its organizational power was brought about through the decline of that same power. Consequently the organizational and spiritual powers of the Shia clergy were balanced during the Qajar era. Such stability became unbalanced during the Pahlavi period and therefore the struggle between the clergy and the state deteriorated.