European Imperialism and Reforming the Ottoman Empire

1
European Imperialism and Reforming the Ottoman
Empire

• Overview
• Background Ottoman governance
• Ottoman Decline defensive modernisation
• Imposition of Western systems
• Conclusion

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Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent
(1520-1566)
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The traditional Regime The Case of Ottoman
Turkey

• 1350-1918 Multi-national, -linguistic,
  -religious empire
• Majorities Christians in Balkans, Turks in
  Anatolia, Arabic-speakers in Fertile Crescent,
  Egypt N. Africa
• Mosaic society religious millets enjoy autonomy
  family/tribal fragmentation regional
  decentralisation
• Unifying ideology Islam (Caliphate) and Imperial
  identification
• Sultan-Caliph legitimation from Islam absolute
  ruler central function guarantor of justice
  (adala) consultatitve Diwan (diet)
  Grand-Vizier firman (edicts) tax-farming
  mamluk army
• Elites' intl origins Greeks/bureaucracy,
  Christian-origin Mamluks (slave soldiers)
  Turkish landed elite

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Ottoman Decline European Pressure, internal
tension

• Declining economic base of empire
• Western economic encirclement and penetration
  loss of trade routes, decline of traditional
  industries, later growing debt to Western capital
  markets (and thus states) failure of Ottoman
  society to produce a modernising bourgeoisie
• European military pressure (Rus, Aus, UK, Fra)
• Internal disintegrative pressures (e.g. Egypt)
• rising population, lack of reforms
• Nationalism among Christian minorities in Balkans

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Dimensions of Imperialism I absorbing the Arab
World

• Creeping Conquest and Occupation
• piecemeal dismemberment of Arabic-speaking realms
  by British French over 100 years
• Algeria (1830) and Egypt (1882), to the post-WWI
  establishment of Mandates in the Fertile Crescent
• Settler Colonialism in two regions, Palestine
  and Algeria
• European settlement uproots peripherizes native
  populations, subordinates and transforms remnants
  of the traditional indigenous society

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Ottoman Decline Defensive Modernisation (i)

• Reforming Sultans selective change - strengthen,
  survive without disrupting the traditional order
• Split in Ottoman elite new reformist elite
  (modern military, bureaucrats) ? struggle with
  traditionalist elite (traditional military elite,
  religious leaders, warlords)
• State strengthening military-bureaucratic
  modernisation to centralise power, defend the
  borders, re-establish order, ensure tax
  collection conscription (Tanzimat)
• Rise of new middle class as reform requires
  Western-style education/professions ? Western
  ideas of modernisation, nationalist, democracy
  diffused among new middle class.
• military why officers are the early
  moderniser/nationalists first Western-educated,
  mission of border defence ? nationalists wanting
  a strong empire
• intellectuals produce a blueprint for
  modernisation of empire

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Defensive Modernisation (ii)

• Reforms
• consitutionalism limit Sultan's power create
  politically aware population with political
  rights giving them a stake in defending the
  country
• secular law Islam seen as divisive obstacle to
  modernisation
• nationalism empire weak for lack of shared sense
  of nationhood
• Problem of Political Identity which 'national'
  identity could unite the empire?
• Ottomanism appeals to Muslim elite, but not to
  masses or Xian minorities
• Islamic revival (Abdulhamid II) antagonises
  secular middle class and religious minorities
  (particularly Christians, with links to West)
• Linguistic nationalism which nationalism? (e.g.
  Young Turks' pan-Turkish nationalism alienates
  Arabs)
• The Young Turk Movement and its Weaknesses
• Young Turks reformist officers, middle class
• Committee of Union Progress Revolution 1909,
  forcing constitution parliament on Sultan. But
  CUP fails to mobilise 'traditional' masses
• 'democrats' vs. authoritarian-nationalists
  democracy would empower traditional leaders
  (since 'the people' remain too traditional)
• Turkification alienates Arabs ? early Arab
  nationalism cf. Ataturk

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Conclusion

• European modernity economic technological
  (industrial revolution), cultural-political
  (nationalism, centralisation)
• Economics Industrial Revolution ? economic
  initiative with Europe ? Ottoman economic decline
  European penetration
• Ideology strong impact of European ideologies
  nationalism perceived as source of unity and
  therefore strength ? increasingly popular Islam
  (at times perceived as obstacle) later
  radicalises under continued Western dominance
• Military/Strategic Industrial Revolution ?
  European military technology production
  capabilities gtgt Ottoman ? shifting power
  relations
• Postcoloniality imperialism (divide et impera
  strategy) economics (new economic system
  classes) creates internal divisions which cause
  post-independence instability ('weak' or
  'unfinished' states, artificial ? liable to
  collapse)
• ? Ottoman Empire hybrid, parallel governance