Abdul Hamid II, the Young Turks (CUP), and Ataturk

I.

II.

III.

Sultans Preceding Abdulhamid II

a. Abdulmecid I (r. 1839-61)
i. Continues Mahmud IIs reforms
ii. Noble Rescript (1839)
iii. Father to Murad V, Abdulhamid II, and Mehmet V
b. Abdulaziz I (r. 1861-76)
i. Continues Mahmud IIs reforms as well
ii. Limited by economic decline, fragmentation, anti-Tanzimat sentiment, Crazy military
iii. Deposed by govt
c. Murad V (r. 1876)
i. Continues Tanzimat and angers Ulema
ii. Deposed within months
Abdulhamid II (r. 1876-1909)
a. First Constitutional Era (1876)
i. Forced to adopt Ottoman Constitution
ii. Suspended in 1878
b. Hamids Despotism Modern Caliph
i. Dissolves constitution and centralizes govt in Anatolia
ii. Reasserts Shariah law, panders to Ulema, and brings back traditional Islamic society
iii. Dissolves democratic reform (parliament); absolute monarchial rule
iv. Pan-Islamism rather than Ottomanism
v. Limits on free speech
vi. Secret police
vii. Suspicion of officials
viii. Repression of higher education
c. Hamids Enlightened Despotism
i. Modernized financial system
ii. Educational reforms continued to an extent schools and teachers increased
iii. Infrastructure reforms
1. Roads
2. Rail tracks
3. Telegraphs
iv. Exports decreased
v. Local industry benefits
Young Turk Revolution (1908)
a. Causes
i. Economic pressures
ii. Corruption of Hamid
iii. European influence
iv. Despotism of Hamid
v. Desire for secularism and democracy
vi. Army support lost
vii. Certain Young Turks exiled
b. Committee of Union and Progress
i. Exiled Ottomans, founded in 1889
ii. Army coup in 1908
iii. Deposed Hamid Mehmet V, figurehead
iv. Second Constitutional Era
c. Shaped intellectual, political, and artistic life of late Ottoman Period; many Young Turks were also
artists/scientists
d. Enver Pasha
e. Agenda
i. Universal suffrage and womens rights
ii. Religious freedom and toleration

iii.
iv.
v.
vi.

IV.

Science replaces religion; secularization

Equality under the law
Free education
Limitations
1. Ulema alienated by anti-Shariah aspects
2. Pro-Hamidists claim that Islam is being defiled
f. Positivism, Social Darwinism, and Elitism combine
g. Ideologies
i. Advancement of science and technology
ii. Turkish cultural identity/nationalism
iii. Enlightened superiority
iv. Social status
h. Paradigm Shift Totalitarian CUP
i. Ottomanism did not catch on Turkanism
Modern Day Turkey
a. WWI
i. Enver Pasha allies Empire with Central Powers due to their early gains
ii. Turko-German Alliance (August 1914) Ottoman Empire, Germany, and AustriaHungary
iii. War declared on Ottomans in November 1914
iv. Mustafa Kemal = war hero
v. Treaty of Versailles Mandate System
1. Partition of Empire
2. Kemal fought for independence
b. Ottoman Empire Turkish Republic
i. Treaty of Sevres (1920)
1. Turkeys Versaille
2. All possessions in Middle East = lost
3. Allies received chunks of the Empire
a. Br/Fr southeast
b. Greece west coast
c. Italy southwestern coast
d. International zone northwest
ii. Sultan could do nothing overthrown by Mustafa Kemal
iii. Kemal fended off foreign invaders
iv. 1923 Ottoman Empire becomes Turkish Republic
c. The New Republic of Turkey
i. Kemal Ataturk
ii. Reforms
1. Republicanism
a. Only one country of Turkey no more Empire
b. Constitution
2. Nationalism
a. Turkish in Arabic script Latin script
b. Prayer done in Turkish
c. Women could no longer wear a hijab/burqa/etc.
d. Citizens could no longer wear fezzes
e. Western clothing emphasized
3. Populism
4. Reformism
a. Legitimizing changes to Turkish culture
5. Statism
a. Government controlled the economy as a mixed economy
b. Turkish investments keeping foreigners out
6. Secularism
a. Church and state separate

b.
c.

Religious schools closed

No more shariah law western law
d. Weekends were no longer based around Islam