Mideast

The Ottoman Empire

Throughout the late 18th century the Ottoman Empire faced an enormous amount of chaos and disorder, which eventually lead to the empire's unfortunate decline. The main factors that contributed to the decline of the Ottoman Empire were the growth of imperial powers, such as Britain, France, and Russia, the rise of nationalism and the destabilization of the Ottoman Empire's government. The imperial powers had grown stronger over the centuries. They had built stronger institutions, introduced modern arms, infrastructure and administration while the Ottoman Empire was frozen in time. The Ottomans failed to industrialize as the European countries did. As a result, this caused them to be behind in productivity and efficiency, harming their economy further. Because of slow development and lack of organization the Ottoman Empire faced challenges in defending itself against foreign invasion and occupation.

Another important reason why the imperial powers took such an extreme interest in the Ottoman Empire was because it served as the gateway to Asia. European merchants were scurrying across the globe looking for raw materials, markets and profits. If France and Britain traveled through the Ottoman Empire it was make it easier to reach Asia for trade. It would also prevent Russia from invading and taking over the weak empire. Rising nationalism in the Ottoman Empire grew intense. The Ottomans were once the greatest and most powerful civilizations which lead them to conquer many territories that consisted of different ethnic backgrounds. Because of an overwhelming amount of diversity in the region, each ethnic group wanted their own state instead of submitting to the Ottoman rule.

One of the primary causes blamed for the fall of the Ottoman Empire was the deterioration and downfall of the government. Originally the government was run by the Sultan and slowly as the years passed by the control of the government weakened. While many important institutions weren't running smoothly, it was hard for the Ottoman Empire to bring about a more modern look and development like the Europeans. Another factor was that the umma was not involved. The community had absolutely no say in how the government should be organized and administered, which lead to a lot of turmoil among the community.

As a result of the Ottoman Empire on sharp decline, the Sultanate realized that changes and improvement must be made immediately to save the empire form invasion. A reform period known as the Tanzimat Era began in 1839 and ended approximately in 1876. This time period was characterized by various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire and to secure its territorial integrity against the nationalist movements and the aggressive powers (Britain, France, and Russia). The sultanate also enforced an innovative movement called Ottomanism. This movement strived to make the community loyal to Ottoman citizenship. By researching why the Europeans were so successful, the Sultan could figure out a way to make the empire based on European ways. However, he needed people to go study abroad and learn the new ideas that made Europe so powerful and stable. Consequently, a new influential group arose to attempt to save the Ottoman Empire from imperial rule, the Young Ottomans.

The Young Ottomans, primarily educated in Western universities, believed that a constitutional monarchy would be the solution to the empire's social economical turbulence. The Young Ottomans were influenced by Western thinkers and were interested in Western liberal ideas. A constitutional monarchy was appealing to them because it related to the critique of what the sultans were undertaking. The Sultan would share his powers with parliament. They believed that the political system should be open to consultation. One main idea was that the Ottoman land is their [society's] homeland; a Muslim land. The Young Ottomans were also called Islamic modernists because they also believed that the Islamic tradition can be interpreted in different environments. They believed that modernity and Islam can be intertwined. The Young Ottomans developed the idea that Islam does not exclude modern principles and what you choose to include with modernity and Islamic tradition is important. Because of the Young Ottomans, like Namik Kemal, the Tanzimat reforms had some far reaching effects.

Namik Kemal was a Young Ottoman who wanted reform and change to save the declining Ottoman Empire. This influenced his writing a great deal. He wanted to save the empire from imperial rule by enforcing constitutionalism throughout the Muslim community, umma. The Muslim community was important because it represented society and their needs as a unified population. If the umma became involved with the government and its decisions many problems would be solved. In his journal article, And Seek Their Counsel in the Matter [Qur'an, Sura 3, Verse 159] , Namik Kemal wants the Ottoman Empire to obtain freedom and adopt the method of consultation. By adopting these suggestions the government would have somewhat of a stable foundation and would ease corruption. He claims in the passage that if the people in the town appoint a judge then the judge's judicial authority wouldn't be valid because it belongs to the state. On the other hand, if the people in the town appoint someone for the sultanate or caliphate then that particular person will have power because they were elected by the umma. Namik Kemal agrees that a leader and the formation of a government are both essential. Any other form of a different type of government is unacceptable. Monarchs, dictators, absolutists, etc. have no right to govern among the people. State authority should have the least affect on