An Investigation into Amir Kabir and Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar’s Reforms in Industry, Communications, and Culture of Naseri Era

After a period of political instability, when Qajar dynasty took power, Iran experienced an apparent stability. Understanding the backwardness of Iran in the Naseri period, Amir Kabir and Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar, two reformist chief ministers, tried to remove the obstacles of development and reform everything pertaining to industry, communications, and culture. Applying a descriptive-analytical method and using documentary sources, newspapers, and primary sources, the study tried to answer the questions: What effects did Amir Kabir and Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar’s reforms have on the industry, communications, and culture in Naseri Iran? What are the similarities and differences between the reforms made by Amir Kabir and Sepahsalar? Amir Kabir and Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar identified the weaknesses of industry, science and culture as the reasons of underdevelopment of Iran. Regarding the industry element, both of them tried to modernize industries by establishing factories and industrial zones. The approach that Amir Kabir took in industry domain was establishing modern European industries financed by Iranian investors and supporting local industries, but Sepahsalar was interested in European countries and granting them the concessions of constructing the industrial zones. Regarding the communications, both of them tried to make post offices with specific regulations. This led to the flourish of businesses. Moreover, their program in establishing new schools with modern fields of study, industry, and newspapers, resulted in a huge group of people educated and trained in various fields.