The Reform and Modernization Movement in the Ottoman Empire from the Late Seventeenth Century Until 1918

Abstract

Since the late seventeenth century AD, the Ottomans, especially the men of modernization and reform, have been alerted to the need to introduce modernization into the structure of the Ottoman Empire. Their defeats at Vienna in 1683, the peace of Koçek Kinarje with Tsarist Russia in 1774, proved that they needed military reform to regain their former status. They had to quote from the West for their military superiority.Since the Ottoman Empire has been military since its formation, therefore, it was necessary to introduce reform and modernization in the military aspect, and then turn to the administrative, financial, judicial and educational sides. Due to the importance of this matter comes the reason for choosing this the title for this research. And the try to study the problem of the research by clarifying the role of Ottoman leaders and their desire for modernization and reform, who realized that the Ottoman Empire is no longer the dominant in Europe, and the Levant, especially since the cracks of weakness and decay have been gnawing in the body of the Ottoman Empire since the late seventeenth century AD, represented by the corruption of its administration, poor economic and military defeats.Many researchers in academic scientific studies have approached this subject, from various perspectives, I avoid to read, analyze and explain scientifically and historically all these studies, in order to come up with a familiar and comprehensive study on the nature of the reform and modernization movement in the Ottoman Empire.The research is divided into an introduction, two axes and a conclusion. The first axis reviews the first attempts of the reform movement, from the late seventeenth century AD, until the proclamation of the Constitution in 1876 AD. The second pivot studies the regulations and modernizations in the Ottoman Empire between 1876 and 1918.The research study reached some preliminary results, including: that these reforms were carried out to satisfy European countries, in times of need, and were not to indicate a libertarian policy drawn by the sultans of Al Othman, who abandoned these reforms with the disappearance of the conditions that led to them