Transcript X. Era of Tanzimat

Era of Tanzimat (Reorganization)
• The Tanzimat (The Reorganization) was a period of
reform in the Ottoman Empire that lasted from 1839 to
1876.
• The Westernization of the Ottoman/Turkish society
effectively began with the Tanzimat reforms, which also
had the aim of encouraging the political ideology of
Ottomanism among the secessionist subject nationalities
and, by doing so, of stopping the rise of nationalist
movements within the Ottoman Empire, but these
attempts failed in integrating non-Muslims and nonTurks succcessfully into the new Ottoman society.
• Tanzimat emerged through the reforms of sultans like
Mahmud II and his son Abdulmedjid as well as reformer
bureaucrats educated in Europe, such as Mustafa Reshid
Pasha, Ali Pasha, Keçeçizade Fuad Pasha, Ahmed
Cevdet Pasha, and Midhat Pasha.
• All these reformers recognized that the outdated political
and military institutions of the Empire would no longer
satisfy the needs of the state.
• Most of the reforms were attempts to adopt successful
European practices into the country and the state. The
reforms aimed at establishing universal conscription,
educational reform, and the elimination of corruption.
• This ambitious project of “Reorganization” was launched
to combat the slow decline of the Empire that had seen its
territories swiftly lost with a growing weakness
compared to the European “Great Powers”.
• Institutional reforms began under Sultan Mahmud II.
On November 3rd, 1839, Sultan Abdulmedjid issued an
declaration named the Hatt-ı Şerif of Gülhane (the
imperial garden where it was first proclaimed) and is also
called the “Tanzimat Fermanı”.
• In that document, the Sultan stated that he wished "to
bring the benefits of a good administration to the
provinces of the Ottoman Empire through new
institutions", and that these institutions would
principally refer chronologically to the following topics:
• the guarantees which were to ensure the Ottoman subjects
perfect security for their lives, their honour, and their
property.
• introduction of the first Ottoman paper banknotes (1840)
• the reorganization of the army and a regular method of
recruiting, levying the army, and fixing the duration of
military service (1843-1844)
• the adoption of an Ottoman national anthem and
Ottoman national flag (1844).
• the reorganization of the Civil and Criminal Code
according to the French model.
• the reorganization of the finance system according to the
French model.
• the institution of a council of public instruction (1846).
• the establishment of the Meclis-i Maarif-i Umumiye
(1845) which was the prototype of the First Ottoman
Parliament - Meclis-i Mebusan (1876).
• the establishment of the first modern universities and
academies (1848) .
• the abolition of the tax “cizye” which imposed higher
tariffs on non-Muslims, with a regular method of
establishing and collecting taxes (1856) .
• non-Muslims were allowed to become soldiers (1856) .
• various provisions for the better administration of the
public service and for the advancement of commerce.
• The edict was followed up with the Hatt-ı Hümayun of
1856 (Islahat Fermanı) which promised full legal equality
for all Ottoman citizens of all religions, and with the
Nationality Law of 1869 that created a common
Ottoman citizenship irrespective of religious or ethnic
divisions.
• The reforms peaked in 1876 with the implementation of
an Ottoman constitution (Kanun-i Esasi) checking the
autocratic powers of the Sultan. The proclamation of the
constitution was the start of the First Constitutional Era
(1876-1878).
• The new Sultan Abdulhamid II in 1876 signed the first
constitution, he later annulled it.
Attention
Tanzimat reforms had far reaching effects. Progressionist
leaders of the Ottoman Empire and later of the Republic
of Turkey including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and many
other Young Turks, many Muslim statesmen, were
educated in the schools established during the Tanzimat
period. State institutions were reorganized, laws were
updated according to the standards of the Occidental
world, modern education, clothing, architecture, arts and
western lifestyle (alla franca) were encouraged.