Ottoman Empire - Economy, State Organization - Research Paper Example

Customer Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Customer Inserts Grade Course  25 March 2009 Ottoman Empire Introduction The Ottoman Empire is also called the Turkish Empire or turkey. The Ottoman Empire was there from 1299 to 1923. The Republic of turkey became its successor[1] on the 29th of October, 1923. It was during the 16th and the 17th century that the Ottoman Empire was at its best. During that time it consisted of three continents. Most of South Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa were under its control. There were 29 provinces in the Ottoman Empire and a number of states. Out of all, few were taken in this Empire while other ones attained independence at different times. Along with this, the Empire obtained power over far away foreign countries by means of avowals of commitment to the Ottoman Sultan or by temporarily acquiring islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The former included the statement by the Sultan of Aceh in 1565 while the latter consists of Lanzarote, 1585; Madeira, 1617; Vestmannaeyjar, 1672; and Lundy, 1655. For six centuries the Ottoman Empire was at the hub of communications amid the East and the West. Its capital wasConstantinople (now Istanbul) and it had a lot of power over lands when Suleiman the Magnificent was reigning. These lands were those that, a 1000 years later, were reigned over by Justinian the Great. Due to this the Ottoman Empire had been an Islamic succeeding Empire to the Roman Empire (also, Byzantine Empire). Economy The government of the Ottoman Empire on purpose followed the procedure in order to expand Bursa, Edirne(Adrianople) and Constantinople, which were the succeeding capitals of the Empire. These capitals were to be expanded into chief commercial and industrial centres, taking into account that participation of merchants and artisans was vital for the creation of a new city[2]. For this purpose the immigration of Jews from various regions of Europe was welcomed and even supported by Mehmed and his successor Bayezid. These Jews went on to settle in Constantinople and other harbour regions for example Salonica. The Jews were being subjected to persecution by the Christians in different regions of Europe. They appreciated their acceptance by the Ottomans. The Ottoman monetary intellect was very much linked to the fundamental ideas of country and civilization in the Middle East, according to which a state eventually aims to achieve strength and to extend the authority of the ruler. In order to attain this they had to obtain plenty of assets which they could achieve by making the constructive society affluent[3]. The eventual goal was to augment the state income to the greatest extent that was attainable while keeping in mind not to damage the affluence of subjects so as to avoid the surfacing of communal confusion and to keep the established association of the group integral. Ottoman Empire had the development of the association of the treasury and chancery to a greater extent as compared to other Islamic governments. Till the 17th century, the Ottomans were the major society amongst every other contemporary[4]. Through this organization a scribal administration was formed (and was called the “men of the pen”) and it was a distinctive faction with some extremely skilled ulema and it was advanced into a specialized federation[5]. This specialized monetary body was so very efficient that it lead to several of the Ottoman statesmen becoming successful[6]. The geo-political framework identified the Empire’s economic framework. The Ottoman Empire was located such that it was between the West and the east. This made it block the eastward way by land and thus the Spanish and the Portuguese guides had to look for other routes in order to reach the Orient. The Ottoman Empire also had the spice route under its control. This was the path once made use of by Marco Polo. It was in 1492 when Christopher Columbus made his way to the Bahamas. At that time the Ottoman Empire had reached the pinnacle and this economic authority went on to extend over as much as three different continents. It is thought that the new sea courses caused the alteration in the relations that existed between the Ottoman people and central Europe. It is likely that the deterioration of the importance of the land paths to the east after Western Europe caused the opening of marine directions which evaded the Middle East and Mediterranean is similar to the way the Ottoman Empire weakened. The Anglo-Ottoman Treaty is called the Treaty of Balta Liman as well and it was the cause behind the opening of the Ottoman markets openly to the English and French rivals. This was one production position beside this expansion. Performing of the main economic actions by the state in the Empire was done by expanding commercial hubs and routes, supporting individuals to expand the section of the agricultural land of the nation and global trade by means of its territories. However, amongst all of this the monetary and governmental affairs of the nation were the principal ones. Amongst the social and governmental system that they lived in Ottoman managers possibly did not comprehend or see the prestige of the dynamics and standards of the industrial and commercial economies that were expanding in Western Europe[7]. State Organization The state organisation of the Ottoman Empire was quite straight forward. It consisted of two major components, namely the military administration and the civil administration. The greatest rank in this organization was of the Sultan. The civil system was established on regional governmental sections which were in turn established on the region’s features. The system that was practised in the Ottoman Empire was that the state controlled the clergy. There were some pre-Islamic Turkish customs that continued to exist after the administrative and legal traditions from Islamic Iran. These were considered imperative in the Ottoman administrative groups[8]. The concept of the Ottomans was that the main duty of the state was to guard and expand the Muslim’s land and also to make sure that there is safety and peace in the Empire. The Ottoman Dynasty (or, the “House of Osman”) was extraordinary plus unsurpassed throughout the Islamic region considering its extent as well as the long reign[9]. Radically, the Ottoman dynasty was Turkish and so were a number of its followers, although, this “Turkic” identity had vanished due to so many intermarriages with several different civilizations that resulted[10]. The sultan had been overthrown eleven times as his enemies thought him to be a hazard to the state. In the full Ottoman history, there had been only two efforts to overthrow the Osman dynasty and both of them had failed. This shows that the political system was good enough to control the rebellions that took place, and there wasn’t even any insecurity. The uppermost rank in Islam was the caliphate. It was maintained by the Sultan and recognized as the Ottoman Caliphate. The Ottoman Sultan was the “lord of kings” and he acted as the Empire’s only regent. He was thought as the quintessence of its government although he did have absolute power at all times. A very significant power of the Ottoman court was the Imperial Harem and it was under control of the Valide Sultan, who at times used to get occupied with the nation’s political affairs. For certain duration the Harem women managed the state efficiently; this was called the “Sultanate of Women”. The criterion for selecting sultans was that they were selected from the male offspring of the ex sultan. The learning structure of the palace school was excellent and it was used to eliminate the incompetent possible inheritors and to establish encouragement within the influential for a legatee. The palace schools also educated the prospective rulers of the nation. Just these schools were not a sole trail. There was the Madrasa for the Muslims where people were taught according to the Islamic teachings. The vakifs were the one who maintained the Madrasas financially and this permitted the poorer children to also get the rightful education and thus move on to raise their status as well as the prospective salaries[11]. The other path to follow was a free boarding school that was there for the Christian community. This school enlisted 3,000 children per year from among the Christian boys of age ranging from eight till twenty years. This selection was made from one in forty families that were in the groups which inhabited in Rumelia and the Balkans. This procedure was called the Devshirmeh[12]. Although the Sultan had the highest title, that of the monarch, his political and managerial powers were assigned to others. The state government contained several advisors and ministers who participated in an assembly which was called Divan(the name of this council was changed after the 17th century to Porte). During the time that the Ottoman Empire was a territory, the Divan comprised the elders of the tribe. However, later the assembly included military officers and native leaders (could be religious and political ones). Afterwards, that is in 1320, some of the duties of the Sultan were handed over to a Grand Vizier, who enjoyed a lot of autonomy from the Sultan and had nearly full control over appointment, discharge and management. After the Sultans abandoned the politics, which was in late 16th century, the Grand Vizier assumed the position of the head of the state in all purposes[13]. During the whole of Ottoman history many times the local governors took actions autonomously and at times even against the head. The Ottoman state was made into a legitimate monarchy after there was the Young Turk Revolution in 1908. After this the Sultan did not have managerial authority. A senate was selected from the counties and a parliament was made. The legislative body established the Imperial Government of the Ottoman Empire. The Empire started developing with great pace and it made use of trustworthy and talented people who managed the Empire. They included anyone: Albanians, Phanariot Greeks, Armenians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Hungarians or others. Because of the integration of the Greeks, Muslims and Jews, the organizational structure was developed. This diverse management was obvious in the political communication of the Empire too. This was at first started to the West using the Greek language[14]. Society Among the achievements of the communal framework of the Ottoman Empire was one concord that it caused amongst its very diverse populace by means of an association which was called millets. The Millets were the chief religious factions and they had the permission to set up their own communes under the Ottoman rule. The establishment of the millets was due to their keeping their personal sacred rules, customs, and language while beneath the common shelter of the sultan. The main factor for the ensuring of durability of the Empire was supposed to be plurality. A lot of rights were given to Phanariot Greeks even since Mehmed II’s reign. Also, the Jews were welcomed and allowed to live in the Ottoman Empire. In due course the Ottoman Empire’s comparatively high level of acceptance for cultural distinctions turned out to be a very important and great strong point in the incorporation of the new areas. However, this non-assimilative strategy turned out to be a cause for disadvantage following the emerging of nationalism. The termination of the Empire was due to racial delineation (balkanization) and this was what put forward the absolute finish. The way of life of the Ottoman Empire was a mixed one, with both Western as well as eastern elements. A distinct feature of Ottoman way of life was that it was quite disjointed. The idea of millet was what engendered this disintegration and allowed several to live together in an assortment of traditions. Constantinople, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire, also consisted of distinct customs. This was chiefly due to the fact that before Ottoman rule the city was the centre of Roman as well as the Byzantine Empires. The way of life in the Ottoman court in several characteristics brought together early customs of the Persian Shahs. However, there were also many Greek and European impacts on it. Such a culture, that is the one evolving about the Ottoman court, was called the Ottoman way. This had been characterized with one Topkapı Palace. There were big urban centres present as well and here the Ottoman influence conveyed itself with a variety that is comparable to today’s metropolises; such can be Sarajevo, Skopje, Thessaloniki, Dimashq, Baghdad, Beirut, Jerusalem, Makkah and Algiers. Then there were the seraglio which were the non royal sites. They happened to become the theme of works of art in the situation of the Turkish style. Slavery was present in the Ottoman Empire and it was an element of the Ottoman society[15]. There was trade of women slaves even till 1908[16]. However, during the 19th century the Empire was pressurized by the Western European countries to put an end to this system. Although different sultans used various strategies during the 19th century in order to try and curb the buying and selling of slave trade, this custom could not be completely abolished, like had been done in Western Europe and Americas. This was because there had been ages of religious support and authorization for the slave trade. Fall of the Empire The growth of the Ottoman Empire stopped unexpectedly in the late 17th century. This was when the Empire’s armies were directed at Vienna which caused talks among Ottoman scholars of a decline. Due to this decline the Empire was discussed by historians. Like in the year 1603, the English historian Knolles portrayed the Ottomans as “the present terror of the world” and during mid-nineteenth century, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia described it as “the sick man of Europe”. This latter expression was then attached to the Empire even though it was used for other states too, like Italy and Scotland[17]. Some monetary troubles that the Ottoman Empire faced were apparently the immediate and most important cause for the mounting discrepancy with the European authorities, noticeable in land, technology and rivalry[18].  These powers expanded into the Muslim world by means of pursuits and intrusions and they managed to carve the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of 20th century. This produced cause enough for the Muslim world to become bowled over. Ensuing autonomist activities, authors and politicians recorded concerning the Ottoman attending in quite antagonistic and disapproving terminology. Several productions were inane and were founded on doubtful sources and very much prejudiced. The cause behind the descend of the Ottoman Empire can be the weakened financial framework. The reason can be that the size of the Empire led to complications in economically incorporating its varied areas. Along with this, the Empire’s communication technology was backward and thus could not be reached to every territory. Several of the situations around the collapse of the Ottoman Empire can be seen to be similar to those that surrounded the decline of the Roman Empire, especially related to the conflicts that were prevailing between the Empire’s various racial categories, and the different government’s failure to sort out those conflicts.         [1] Treaty of Lausanne. WWI. 23 July 2008. 21 March 2009. [2] M. A. Studies in the economic history of the Middle East: from the rise of Islam to the present day. ed Cook. p.209. UK: Oxford University Press. 1970. [3] M. A. Studies in the economic history of the Middle East: from the rise of Islam to the present day. ed Cook. p.217. UK: Oxford University Press. 1970. [4] Black, Antony. The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present. US: Routledge. 2001. pp. 199. [5] Black, Antony. The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present. US: Routledge. 2001. pp. 199. [6] Faroqui, Suraiya., Inalcik, Halil., McGowan, Bruce., Quataert, Donald. & Pamuk, Sevket. An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914 2 volume set (paperback) (Economic & Social History of the Ottoman Empire) (Vol. 1) (Paperback). p.120. UK: CambridgeUniversity Press. June 28, 1997. [7] M. A. Studies in the economic history of the Middle East: from the rise of Islam to the present day. ed Cook. p.218. UK: Oxford University Press. 1970. [8] Itzkowitz, Norman. Ottoman Empire and Islamic Tradition. 1st ed. p.38. US: University of Chicago. March 15 1980. [9] Black, Antony. The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present. US: Routledge. 2001. pp. 197. [10] Quataert, Donald. The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 (New Approaches to European History). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 19 September 2005. [11] Lewis, Bernard. Istanbul and the civilization of the Ottoman Empire. p151. American SouthWest: University of Oklahoma Press. February 1989. [12] Karpat, Kemal, H. Social Change and Politics in Turkey: A Structural-Historical Analysis. (Social, Economic and Political Studies of theMiddle East and Asia, No 7) (Library Binding), p204. Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. August 1997. [13] Black, Antony. The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present. US: Routledge. 2001. pp. 199. [14] Quataert, Donald. The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 (New Approaches to European History). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 19 September 2005. [15] Inalcik, Halil. Servile Labor in the Ottoman Empire in “The Mutual Effects of the Islamic and Judeo-Christian Worlds: The East European Pattern”. pp. 25-43. New York: Brooklyn College. 1979. 25 March 2009. http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html [16] Kabadayı, Erdem, M., Inventory for the Ottoman Empire / Turkish Republic 1500-2000. (n.d.). 25 March 2009. http://www.iisg.nl/research/labourcollab/turkey.pdf [17] Itzkowitz, Norman. Ottoman Empire and Islamic Tradition. 1st ed. p.38. US: University of Chicago. March 15 1980. [18] Braudel believed the destruction of the Muslim Mediterranean trade led to the Islamic decline, Pirenne’s theory mentioned above in effect reversed – Braudel, F, Grammaire des Civilisations, Flamarion, 1987, p. 117 — cited by Faroqhi, S, op cit, 2000, p. 19 Read More