CHAPTER 26: BIRTH OF TURKEY

Pages 616-623

OTTOMAN CRISIS

Reason for Crisis: Succession of weak rulers

Inept Sultans opened way for power struggles Janissary, rival ministers, religious experts, elite factions

Provincial officials collude with the ayan (land owning class) to take revenue and taxes

Deterioration of the artisan workers Competition from Europe (manufactured goods) Urban riots led by artisan guilds and young men’s associations Minority merchants (Jews and Christians) become more dependant on dealings

with Europe Wide spread possessions

Out dated weaponry Austrian Habsburg dynasty benefits, removes Ottoman threat to Vienna Ottomans pushed out of Hungary and Balkans Russia moves toward the Black Sea, take the Caucasus and Crimea regions

Threaten Istanbul Christians in the Balkans begin to resist Ottoman rule

1804: Rebellion in Serbia (1867 gains independence) 1820’s: Rebellion in Greece (Independent by 1830) Ottomans driven from Balkans by 1870s

NOTHING DESCRIBES THE OTTOMAN DISSONANCE BETTER THAN THE PAGES OF AN OTTOMAN CALENDAR, ONE OF THEM SHOWN ON THE RIGHT. THE CALENDAR CONTAINS SIX LANGUAGES: TURKISH, GREEK, FRENCH, BULGARIAN, ARMENIAN, AND LADINO (SPANISH IN HEBREW CHARACTERS).

Source: The cover of the book by Elli Skopetea [ES92] and the comments about the calendar on page 99 (footnote No. 13). The title of the book is a clever pun of the double meaning of the words East and West in Greek. The closest rendering is the "Sunset of the East". Additional annotations from [BL02a, p. 270].

REPRESSION AND REVOLT The reforms help the Ottomans fight off foreign

aggressors, but causes threats within Western educated bureaucrats, military officers, professionals

view the sultanate as barrier to more major reforms New elites clash with Ulama and Ayan who want to preserve

the old order Abdul Hamid (1878-1908)

Attempts to return to despotic absolutism during his rule to get rid of western threat.

Nullified Constitution, restricts civil liberties (freedom of press)

Dissidents or trouble makers could be imprisoned, tortured, killed

Continues some westernization European arms and techniques, railroads (Berlin to Baghdad),

telegraph lines, educational institutions, judicial reforms Rule ends in 1908 with coup

THE BULGARIAN ATROCITY (1876)

The futility and cruelty of Ottoman actions is illustrated by what came to be called the "Bulgarian atrocity". The Bulgarians had rebelled in April 1876 but the rebellion was crushed ruthlessly with over 15,000 civilians killed. The cruel suppression created a big outcry in Europe with a lot of negative publicity for the "terrible Turks"

OTTOMAN SOCIETY FOR UNION AND PROGRESS

Ottoman Society for Union and Progress Founded by exiled Turkish intellectuals and political agitators in

Paris in 1889 Members known as Young Turks Profess loyalty to the Ottoman Regime, want to restore the 1876

Constitution, want to resume far reaching reforms in the empire Print tracts in secret denouncing the regime and give steps for

further modernization to save the empire Plan assassinations and coups but fail until 1908 coup is successful

because of sympathy within the military, and few of the sultan’s supporters were willing to die defending the regime

Small group comes to power Keep sultan as figure head, restore constitution, freedom of the press Get caught up in factional fights Powers is shaken with war in the Balkans, conflict with Italy over Libya

Their rule leads up to WWI Problems:

Wouldn’t give up land controlled by Ottomans for 600 years

BERLIN-BAGHDAD RAILWAY

What is Germany up to?