The Ottoman Empire, The Islamic Heartlands, and Qing China

The Ottomans

weak rulers led to power struggles between rivals, religious experts and Janissary corps commanders

local leaders cheating on tax payments

Growth of imported goods weakening local businesses and manufacturing-urban riots

Merchants mainly Christians and Jews and traded more and more with the West

Military weakened-pushed out of the Balkans by The Austrian Hapsburgs

1700’s-main threat becomes Russia-westernized by Peter the Great

Lost Causasus region and Crimea

revolt in Serbia

Greeks independent by 1830

Why survived?

European rivals divided against each other

British worried about expansion of the Russians

Needed reform from within…caused tensions

some wanted change to Western style…others wanted to return to the past…still others wanted to keep things the same

Jannisaries overthrew Selim II because of reforms

Selim III wiped them out

Mahmud II –a reformer

Ambassadors with the Westwesternized army

1838-British given rights to no import taxes and did not have to follow Ottoman laws in their trade areas

Changes not fast enough and Sultan looked upon as holding the country back

Response-Abdul Hamid did away with constitution, reforms, liberties..used imprisonment, torture..but kept western military

Response-1908- The Young Turks

Sultan becomes a figurehead and leader of the faith

Infighting among military leaders

New wars in the Balkans, in Africa against Italy

Eventually sided with Germany and Austria Hungary in WWI…lost and the empire was no more

New leader-Mustafa Kemel (Ataturk) rebuilds the nation of Turkey

The Islamic Heartlands

fell behind the West and were becoming surroundedDid not realize how far behind they were until Napoleon invaded Egypt and defeated the Mamluks at the Battle of the Pyramids

1801-Muhammad Ali takes control of Egypt and breaks from the Ottoman Empire (why important to Ottomans?)

Rebuilt the army in Western style

little effect on society

Died in 1848..Egypt Open to Western Control

New Leaders ..The kheldives

British Influence-cottonEgypt Became a One-crop Economy Setting to British

Poor…borrowed Heavily From Western Banks (Sound Familiar?)

1869-Suez Canal built

…very important to the Europeans…particularly the British and the French

Some leaders felt they should get from the Europeans and they had given in the past (al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdul)

Others felt that the Quran had to be followed literally and change was bad

Mahdist Revolt

nomads of Sudanic plains had been fighting Egyptians and were angry at the Egyptian attempt to end the slave tradeBritish now involved

rebellion led by Muhammad Achmadfell to British military technology

Qing China

Manchu had kept Chinese waysvery conservative

had opened China to trade and allowed international travel so new ideas getting into Chinamerchants (compradors) getting wealthy

new crops, ideas, money, silver

Problems

exam system corrupted ..gov’t less well runmilitary down because tax $ being funneled to rich families

Public works down-flooding

General belief-Manchu would simply be replaced by another dynasty as had always happened

but…changes were taking place that had never been there before

Thought of the Europeans as like the Mongols…but the Europeans were their equals and in many ways superior.

British angry over inability to get Chinese to trade for western goods so stated importing opium

Chinese tried to stop the trade so the British invaded China…Opium War

forced open trade…Hong Kong established

Taiping Rebellion-wanted social reforms, western education, land redistribution…failed

Boxer Rebellion (Harmonious Fist)…drive Westerners from China…Western armies invaded China and put down the revolt

Secret societies began

Get rid of the Manchu

last emperor out in 1912

Sun Yat-sen…need the West