Nationalism & Dissolution of the Ottoman's

Name and Surname: Semih Sayın

Instructor: Ezgi Topuz Sezen

Course: Eng-101

Due Date: 01-06-2009

How Did Nationalism Affect on the Dissolution of the

Ottoman Empire?
Ottoman Empire was an empire founded in Anatolia, by a Turkish tribe in 13th century and ended at
1922, by Turkish Great National Assembly (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008) . There are two
momenteus historical events as shown us the start of spread and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. First
one is the Conquest of Istanbul by Ottoman's in 1453 which is caused the spread of 'humanism' in
Europe also represents the start of rising period of Ottoman Empire (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009).
Second one is the French Revolution in 1789 which have caused the spread the idea of nationalism and
that idea is also the primary idea based on the of dissolution of the Ottoman Empire ( Encyclopædia
Britannica, 2009). In addition to these, as like of all the other empires, Ottoman Empire had ruled
respectable amount of variant nations in its borders which were covered from west; “gates of Vienna”
to east; today's Armenia and also part of Africa and most of Arabian Peninsula (Encyclopædia
Britannica, 2008). For over the six hundred years lifetime of the Ottoman Empire, ruling these nations
as minorities is not so formidable thing as it seems, by aid of humanistic idea which was rooted in
political administration. But, on the other hand, 'nationalism' is the idea which made this minorities to
rebel against central government and start of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. So, how did
nationalism affect on the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire?

Empires be formed with a central government and other areas which were economically and
politically dependent to this central government ( Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008). For the Ottoman
Empire central government is based on Anatolia and the other areas which had dependent to central
government were Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, most of Romania,
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, some parts of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and
Algeria ( Zürcher, 2004, p.9). For a large area that covered all of these countries today, approximately
three million square kilometres, the population density is very low; only near twenty five million
people (Zürcher, 2004,p.9). In 19th century, because of the low density of population Ottoman Empire
had problems to remain economical process and to preserve strength of military (Zürcher, 2004, p.9).
These facts, large area and low density, caused internal problems and some of these internal problems
made Ottoman Empire defenceless for the external efficacies. Ottoman Empire, owing to 'protecting
stability' which is mean “... within society, each group and each individual shoul remain in his place
(within his bounds or hudud), without trespassing on the rights of others. The government should rule
within the bounds of law and enforce the hudud.” (Zürcher, 2004, p.13) can hold on these problems and
efficacies, until nationalism combine them together.

Even there is not many people to rule in the Ottoman Empire, central government's power is very
slight for most of the parts of the empire and actually for Africa and Arabian Peninsula it pratically
does not exist ( Zürcher, 2004, p.9). However, the lack of central government's power on many
minorities, Ottoman Empire's government system has a special rule system for non-muslim minorities
to make them more “independent” rather then making them dependent to central government. This rule
system is giving them the right of producing their own rules under their own government with a
religious leader as head of it, in respect to 'protect stability' (Zürcher, 2004 p.13) and called ; “The
Millet System” ( Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008). When an aim like protecting stability in Ottoman
Empire, combines with The Millet System which is making minorities almost independent, national
identities of these minorities were protected, instead of assimilate them. First minority which were
rebel against Ottoman Empire were the Greeks, who had influenced with nationalist idea and combine
it with their national identity, because of their commercial connections with all important ports of
Europe.(Zürcher, 2004, p.26) Also Serbians had fluenced with nationalist idea, with thanks to their
commercial connections to central Europe throughout their exports to Austria (Zürcher, 2004, p.26).
Zürcher in Turkey: A Modern History, mention these nationalistic influences and explained the
Ottoman Empire's European rooted minorities' aim, who had newly started rebellions against Ottoman
Empire: “Of the three catchwords of the French Revolution “liberty, equality, fraternity”, it was
“liberty” that caught on among these communities; but to them liberty meant not guarantee of civic
rights but national independence.” ( 2004, p.26).

On the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire, the situation of minorities is quite different and
complicated. Armenians, as a non-muslim minority, are not the major people group in these parts, but
diffused in to all eastern parts as an important minority and also Kurds, as a muslim minority, live at
same areas (Zürcher, 2004, p.114). After the events happened in 1895 and 1896, First Van Rebellion
by Armenians, Armenian raid of Ottoman Bank (Gürun, 1983, p. 161-166), there was a tension
appeared between Armenians and Muslims in these areas (Zürcher, 2004, p.114). Especially Kurds
were predisposed to attack on Armenians at any chance and there were some little clashes between
them before the Ottman Empire entered the WWI in 1914 ( Zürcher, 2004, p.114). During the WWI,
Russian Empire as a Great Power, encouraged Armenian Nationalists to have their own national state,
with the view of nationalism and persuade them to joining Russian forces is the only way to realize that
idea (Zürcher, 2004, p.114). So a few thousand of Armenians, joined the Russian forces, and set up
some “guerrilla” attacks, which are also small-scale massacres, to the Ottoman forces. (Zürcher, 2004,
p.114). These actions bring terrible consequences for the both, Armenian and the Ottoman Empire.
Armenians had to emigrate as a compulsory from East Anatolia to today's Syria and Ottoman Empire
gave an arming right to Kurds, in case of to control and stop Armenians' new guerilla attacks (Zürcher,
2004, p.114). During this compulsory immigration, great numbers of Armenians died and Ottoman
Empire had blamed for this deaths by Great Powers with the aim of interfere the Ottoman Empire's
internal affairs (Bloxham, 2005). At the same time England attacked to the Ottoman Empire from Syria
with receiving support from Arabs, even in the meantime Halife ordered them to join the “jihad” (fight
against non-Muslims), with thanks to their propaganda which impressed Arabs national instincts and
developed abomination against Turks (Leonard, 2006, p.68-69).

As a result we can see, nationalism affected on dissolution of the Ottoman Empire either, as a
necessity, nationalism made European minorities to rebel against central government and bring them
their national freedom or nationalism used as a strategical weapon by Great Power's political, strategic,
economic and cultural desires about Ottoman Empire (Kent, 1996, p.1) on Asian minorities to be their
allies in the WWI, in aim to use them against the Ottoman Empire. For both ways, nationalism and the
idea of a nationalist freedom separated these minorities from the Ottoman Empire. Serbians gained the
freedom ,technically, after their rebellion in 1878 ( Britannica, 2009) , Greeks gained their freedom in
1832 ( Britannica, 2009) and Bulgaria gained their first rights to be known as a nation in 1878 with
Russia's pressure on Ottoman Empire as a Great Power (Britannica, 2009). Unlikely these countries
who gained their freedoms as a independent countries, Armenian's and Arab's separated from Ottoman
Empire between 1916-1920 but they couldn't establish their independent government's, they were under
occupation of different Great Power countries. (Britannica, 2009).

The affects of nationalism on empires is not narrowed with only the Ottoman Empire. However
because of the humanistic ideology in the central government's politics, “The Millet System” and
power lack of central government's on minorities, nationalism affected Ottoman Empire in a little while
but also nationalism will affect all the other empires, in example Russian Empire, Britain Empire and
bring the end of the empires, before the 21st century.

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