Transcript AP World History POD #17 – Sick Old Man of Europe

AP World History
POD #17 – Sick Old Man of Europe
Tanzimat Reforms
Class Discussion Notes
Bulliet et. al – “The Ottoman
Empire”, pp. 663-666
Tanzimat

Restructuring reforms by the 19th
century Ottoman rulers intended to
move civil law away from the control of
the religious elites and make the
military and the bureaucracy more
efficient
Opponents of Reform
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Janissaries – suspected the sultan of trying to
limit their political status and influence
(revolted in 1805 forcing the sultan to rely on
the Bosnian ruler to suppress the rebellion)
Ulama – Muslim religious scholars who
distrusted the Sultan Selim’s proposed
secularization of law and taxation (Selim was
forced to suspend these program in 1806 and
was eventually deposed and imprisoned
before finally being executed)
Sultan Mahmud II

Selim’s cousin, cautiously revived the
reform programs, but understood they
needed to be enacted in a calculated
systematic manner, as well as being
imposed more forcefully (he used the
successful reform movement in Egypt
under Muhammad Ali as a model)
Greek Independence

“Greek independence in 1829 had dramatic international
significance. A combination of Greek nationalist
organizations and interlopers from Albania formed the
independence movement. Europe’s interest in the
classical age of Greece and Rome led many Europeans to
consider the Greek’s struggle for independence a
campaign to recapture their classical glory from Muslim
oppression. Some – including the “mad, bad and
dangerous to know” English poet Lord Byron, who lost his
life in the war – went to Greece to fight as volunteers.
When the combined squadrons of the British, French, and
Russian fleets, under orders to observe but not intervene
in the war, made an unauthorized attack that sank the
Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Navarino, Greek victory was
assured.” (Bulliet, p. 664)
Destruction of the Janissaries
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The Ottoman defeat in Greece was a signal to
both Sultan Mahmud II, as well as the larger
world community of significant weakness
1826 – public announcement of the creation
of a new artillery unit that had secretly been
training
The Janissaries revolted upon hearing this
announcement, but the Sultan responded by
ordering the artillery unit to shell the
Janissary barracks
The Janissary Corps was officially disolved
Taking on the Religious Elites

“Like Muhammad Ali, Mahmud felt he could not
implement major changes without reducing the
political power of the religious elite. He visualized
restructuring the bureaucracy and the educational
and legal systems, where ulama power was
strongest. Before such strong measures could be
undertaken, however, Ibrahim attacked Syria in 1839.
Battlefield defeat, the decision of the rebuilt Ottoman
navy to switch sides and support Egypt, and the
death of Mahmud, all in the same year, left the
empire completely dependent on the European
powers for survival.” (Bulliet, p. 665)
Tanzimat Reforms of Abdul Mejid
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Public trials and equal protection under the law for all
whether Christian, Jew or Muslim
Guaranteed rights of privacy
Equalized the eligibility of men for conscription into the army
New tax collection system, ending the system of tax farming
Commercial, criminal and civil procedures and legal codes
were reformed to replace the control of the shari’a (Islamic
Law) over these areas
Shari’a was resticted to matters of family law such as
marriage and inheritance
*** Historians often reference these refroms as the dawn of
modern thought, secularism and enlightened government in
the Middle East
Military Reform
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Cadets were sent to France and Germany for training
1830 – Ottoman School of Military Science (later
Istanbul University) was established employing
instructors from western Europe to teach engineering
and physical sciences etc
1838 – a medical school was established to teach
military doctors and surgeons
A national system of prep schools was established to
feed students into the universities
French became the preferred instructional language
in all advanced professional and scientific training
The Fez
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“Changes in military practice had unforeseen cultural
and social effects. Accepting the European notion
that modern weapons and drill required modern
military dress, beards were deemed unhygienic and,
in artillery units, a fire hazard. Military headgear also
became controversial. European military caps, which
had leather bills on the front to protect against the
glare of the sun, were not acceptable because they
interfered with Muslim soldiers’ touching their
foreheads to the ground in prayer. The compromise
was the brimless cap now called the fez, which was
adopted by the military and then by Ottoman civil
officials in the early years of Mahmud II’s reign.”
(Bulliet, p. 665)
Civil Service
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The practice of recruiting government officials
from traditional bureaucratic families and
offering on-the-job training was replaced by a
civil service system hiring men who were
products of the new educational system
This new work force adopted western style
dress as opposed to the traditional fashions
that were symbolic of the religious, rural and
parochial
Legal Reforms
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Secularization of the legal code
Ended the shari’a practice of a head tax
on non-Muslims making the nonMuslims eligible for military service as
well (unless they bought there way out)
All male subjects had equal access to
civil courts (Islamic Law courts were
reduced)
Status of Women

“The public rights and political participation granted
during the Tanzimat applied specifically to men.
Private life, including everything connected to
marriage and divorce, remained within the sphere of
religious law, and at no time was there a question of
political participation or reformed education for
women. Indeed, the reforms may have decreased
the influence of women. The political changes ran
parallel to economic changes that also narrowed
women’s opportunities.” (Bulliet, p. 666)