Contributions of the Ottoman Empire - Essay Example

One of the major legacies left behind by the Ottoman Empire is their tolerance towards other religions (McCarthy, p.218). It should be noted that Ottoman Empire was made up of different ethnic groups such as Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Serbs, Bulgars, Armenians, Assyrians, and Kurds. Moreover, different communities of Christian religion and Jews existed in the Ottoman Empire. However, Ottomans never tried to inject Islamic beliefs and principles among people of other religions. Turkey under the ottomans did succeed in isolating religion from politics (McCarthy, p.217). In other words, the tolerance shown towards other religions is a legacy left behind by the Ottomans. For example, at present, Turkey is believed to be the most secular country in the Arab world. Moreover, no other Islamic country is currently successful in implementing democracy as Turkey does. As a result of that, Turkey is very close to acquiring permanent membership in the EU which would further enhance its possibilities for economic progress.

According to McCarthy (p.217), the Ottoman Empire was successful in improving transportation and communication infrastructure. They built roads, railroads, and telegraph lines as a measure to improve the economic activities inside their territories. At the same time, they made plenty of architectural wonders which are still reminding the aesthetic legacy left behind by them. Plenty of mosques and buildings that were constructed by the Ottomans are still available in Arab countries such as Turkey, the Balkans, Hungary, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.

The institutional and structural reforms undertaken by Ottoman Empire are still relevant. The bureaucratic traditions and the structural reforms undertaken by the Ottoman did continue in the Arab world even after the Ottoman era. Centralized control was the major ideal of bureaucratic reforms under the Ottomans (McCarthy, p.216). In other words, bureaucrats were accountable for their activities done by them, under the Ottoman Empire. It should be noted that corruption may increase in countries where bureaucracy is free from centralized control. Ottomans were aware of this principle and they did everything possible to increase the accountability of bureaucrats.

According to McCarthy (p.219), the destruction of the Ottoman Empire was a big loss to the Arab world. In his opinion, the elements of religious fundamentalism started to increase in the Arab world after the destruction of the Ottoman Empire. Nobody can deny this argument made by McCarthy, considering some of the unfortunate incidents happened in the world in recent times.

To conclude, Ottoman Empire left behind many legacies related to politics, economics, and culture. The contributions of Ottomans in the development of the Arab world cannot be neglected under any circumstances.