Critical evaluation of the theory of Oriental Despotism; A historical approach to Iranian society

Extended Abstract
Introduction: The oriental tyranny that Wittfogel envisions is the result of a mechanism that Marx and Engels called the “Asiatic mode of production.” The scarcity of water in the East makes its economical use inevitable, and to achieve this goal, a centralized government and a powerful bureaucratic apparatus are created that are responsible for distributing water resources; the emergence of such a mechanism provides the basis for the formation of tyranny in Eastern societies. Considering this theory, a number of Iranian scholars have tried to present an analysis of the durability of tyranny in the country. In the present article, the mechanisms proposed in the theory of Eastern tyranny are first examined from Wittfogel’s perspective. Then, the opinions of Iranian scholars active in this field are studied, and finally, the application of this theory within the framework of historical developments in Iranian society is criticized and evaluated.
Methods: In the current study, documentary and historical methods were used. The documentary method has been considered both as a comprehensive method and a technique to strengthen other qualitative methods in social science research. In this method, the researcher collects his research data about social actors, events, and phenomena from sources and documents. The results of these studies have been evaluated and analyzed historically. Historical research is a systematic and accurate study of the past, and the researcher works with complete skill on points about events.
Results and Discussion: Considering the theories presented in the article, some criticisms can be made regarding the application of the theory of Eastern tyranny in Iran. Although the issue of water scarcity as an important issue has played a role in the formation of political, economic, and social relations in Iran, its impact has been greatly exaggerated. The most important criticisms of the application of the theory of Eastern tyranny in Iran include: Theories that consider climate and water scarcity as the main factors of tyranny fall into a kind of geographicalism and geographical determinism and marginalize the role of other influential factors. If the theories of authoritarian rule are reinterpreted in such a way that the mutual influence of culture, politics, and economics and of course, possibly depending on the temporal-spatial situation in different historical periods, the determination of one of these elements over the other two factors is emphasized, or conversely, their overlapping influence and connection with each other in another time and place are pointed out, their application will have greater scientific strength.
Conclution: It seems that the application of the theory of oriental tyranny in the way it has been so far is not very helpful for the explanation and analysis of Iranian society. Not considering many historical variables in the evolution of society (such as cultural variables) or inverting many relationships in the country, practically makes it impossible to match the theory with objective facts and can even lead to the spread of misunderstanding and misunderstanding. It seems that if the theory of eastern tyranny matches the realities of Iranian society as much as possible and cultural variables are also included in it, the evolution of society and government in Iran can be understood better and more effectively.