From Failure to Reform; The Formation of Crisis Thinking in Abbas Mirza's Politics

The beginning of the 19th century was a crucial and critical period for Iran, in which the weakness of the country's political, military, and cultural structure became apparent in the face of emerging global powers. Iran's defeats in the first and second wars with Russia were not only a loss of territory, but also a sign of a deep crisis in the foundation of the Iranian state and society. By posing the main question, "How did Abbas Mirza become aware of Iran's backwardness and organize his reforms in the context of the crisis caused by the war with Russia?", this research attempts to examine the connection between the experience of defeat, the understanding of the crisis, and the beginning of the reform. In terms of methodology, for a more detailed analysis and systematic examination of Abbas Mirza's thought and practice, the present study uses Thomas Springs' four-stage model in understanding political theories and crisis thinking. The research findings show that Abbas Mirza, through direct confrontation with the military crisis and the inefficiency of the traditional structure, achieved a kind of conscious crisis thinking that necessitated the reform of the military institution, education, and interaction with the West. Accordingly, Abbas Mirza's vision and action are not simply a set of practical reforms, but rather the crystallization of a kind of "crisis thinking" in which the observation of disorder, the analysis of causes, the image of the desired order,.