Tanzimat
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History of the Ottoman Empire |
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| Rise (1299–1453) | |
| Growth (1453–1683) | |
| Stagnation (1683–1827) | |
| Decline (1828–1908) | |
| Dissolution (1908–1922) | |
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The Tanzimat (Ottoman Turkish: تنظيمات) meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. The modernization (westernization) process of the Ottoman Empire (and that of the Republic of Turkey which succeeded the Ottoman state) were effectively associated with the Tanzimat reforms. The reforms aimed to encourage Ottomanism among the many ethnic groups that had secessionist goals and stop the rise of nationalist movements within the Ottoman Empire. The reforms tried, but failed, to integrate non-Muslims and non-Turks more thoroughly into the Ottoman society through civil liberties and regulations.
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[edit] Origins
Tanzimat emerged from the minds of reformist sultans like Mahmud II and Abdülmecid as well as prominent reformers who were European educated bureaucrats, such as Ali Pasha, Fuad Pasha, Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, and Midhat Pasha. They recognized that the old religious and military institutions no longer met the needs of the empire in the modern world. Most of the symbolic changes, such as uniforms, were aimed at changing the mindset of imperial administrators. Many of the reforms were attempts to adopt successful European practices. Changes included universal conscription; educational, institutional and legal reforms; and systematic attempts of eliminating corruption.
[edit] Goals
The ambitious project was launched to combat the slow decline of the empire that had seen its borders shrink, and was growing weaker in comparison to the European powers.
[edit] Reforms
It began under Sultan Mahmud II. On November 3rd, 1839, Sultan Abdülmecid issued an organic statute for the general government of the empire named the Hatt-ı Şerif of Gülhane (the imperial garden where it was first proclaimed). It is also called the Tanzimat Fermanı. In this very important 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 to these topics:
- the guarantees which will 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 finance system according to the French model
- the reorganization of the Civil and Criminal Code according to the French model
- the establishment of the Meclis-i Maarif-i Umumiye (1845) which was the prototype of the First Ottoman Parliament (1876)
- the institution of a council of public instruction (1846)
- the establishment of the first modern universities and academies (1848)
- the abolition of the capitation tax 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 which promised full legal equality for citizens of all religions, and the Nationality Law of 1869 that created a common Ottoman citizenship irrespective of religious or ethnic divides.
[edit] Effects
Tanzimat reforms had far reaching effects. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and other progressive leaders and thinkers of the Republic of Turkey and of many other former Ottoman states in the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa were educated in the schools established during the Tanzimat period.
The reforms peaked in 1876 with the implementation of an Ottoman constitution checking the autocratic powers of the Sultan. The details of this period are covered under the First Constitutional Era. While the new Sultan Abdülhamid II signed the first constitution, he quickly turned against it.
State institutions were reorganized; laws were updated according to the needs of the changing world; modern education, clothing, architecture, arts, and lifestyle were encouraged.
Land reforms, and especially the change in land ownership structure, allowed Russian Jews to buy land in Palestine, thus enabling them to immigrate there, starting the first Aliya and signaling the beginning of Zionism.
The Armenian National Constitution (Turkish:"Nizâmnâme-i Millet-i Ermeniyân") of 1863 was approved by the Ottoman government. The "Code of Regulations" consisted of 150 articles which were drafted by the Armenian intelligentsia and defined the powers of the Armenian Patriarch (position in the Ottoman Millet System) and the newly formed "Armenian National Assembly". [1]
[edit] References
- Incorporates text from History of Ottoman Turks (1878)
- LAFI (Nora), Une ville du Maghreb entre ancien régime et réformes ottomanes. Genèse des institutions municipales à Tripoli de Barbarie (1795-1911), Paris, L'Harmattan, 2002, 305 p. [1]
- LAFI (Nora), Municipalités méditerranéennes. Les réformes municipales ottomanes au miroir d'une histoire comparée, Berlin, K. Schwarz, 2005.
[edit] Further reading
- Lewis, Bernard (2003). What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East, Reprint edition, Harper Perennial. ISBN 978-0060516055.
