Chapter 26

The Ottomans

Causes of Decline

• Weak rulers and subsequent power struggles• Economic deterioration

• Turkish artisans can’t compete with influx of western industrial goods• Jewish/Christian merchants increase ties to West

• Military decline• Janissaries unwilling to keep up with Western weaponry• Unable to retain control of portions of empire

Selim III (1789-1807)

• Attempted to reform the Ottoman army and bureaucracy but two groups opposed his reform• Islamic scholars fought the secularization of the

government because it would reduce the power of religion• Janissaries resisted the reform because they liked their

privileges • Increases literacy with first printing press in the Muslim World• Builds a new army/navy• Restructures bureaucracy

• Improves administration• Angered powerful people

Mahmud II (1826-1838)

• Forces nobles to submit to his authority• Builds western-style army and overthrows Janissaries

• Istanbul Janissaries rebelled against Mahmud and were massacred

• Exchanges ambassadors and advisors with the West• Feudalism was abolished and military officers were no longer

able to collect taxes directly from the population for their salaries

• Tax collection went straight to the central government, which they paid military salaries

The Tanzimat Reforms (1839-1876)

• Reforms after Mahmud• Elimination of government corruption• Western-Style university education (secular)• Edict known as the hatt-i Humayun declared all men equal in

education, government appointments and justice• Infrastructure

• Postal service, telegraphs, railways, roads, and canals• New constitution → codification of new laws

• Influenced by the West• Open unrestricted trade with the west• Discuss changes to

• polygamy, harem, veiling

Ottoman loss of Territory

• Loss of Greece and Egypt growing Independence• lost power over other territories as territories became

independent• Before 1850 the majority of all Ottoman subjects lived in the

Balkans• The number dropped to about 20% in the early 20th

century• Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and a few other Balkan territories

fell under the “protection” of either Russia or the Austro-Hungarian Empire

• The separation of these areas from the Ottoman Empire was the result of the rise of nationalism in these areas

European Investment

• The Ottoman were presented an investment plan from Germany about a railway for Baghdad to Berlin and setting banking offices

• In 1812, they were unable to pay interest on its loans and had no choice but to accept foreign administrations

• These foreigners were granted extraterritoriality• Capitulations were set up by the successive sultans to draw up advantages in trade

and import taxes that drained the Ottomans resources• These Capitulations existed since the 1500s and were not formally abolished until

the treaty of Lausanne of 1923• In the 19th century they saw Capitulations as humiliating intrusions on the

sovereignty

Economic Decline of the Ottoman

• Extraterritoriality → rights of foreigners living in Ottoman Empire to live under laws of own country, not Ottoman law. Germans especially working on Baghdad to Berlin railroad, were resented for demanding extraterritoriality

• Capitulations → concessions by sultans to foreign citizens that provided trade and import advantages to European neighbors

• Ottomans did not export goods and their agricultural production was decreasing• Young Turks began advocating for nationalism and Turkification (process of

cultural change to make all citizens feel part of a common Turkish heritage)• Unfavorable foreign agreements and resentment of Europeans pushed Ottomans

into allying with Germany and becoming on a Central Powers in WWI

ALAS the Ottoman Empire Falls in 1908

Egypt

Egypt

• Napoleon takes Egypt in 1798• Beat British to the territory• Mamluk Regime

• Vassals of the Ottoman Empire• West not good so we don’t need to worry about them• WRONG major defeat

• French eventually leave and the British get the area• Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali• Rose to power due to conflict with Mamluks

• Consolidated his power by defeating the Mamluk leaders in Mecca and Medina• Was an Albanian Ottoman officer that was later selected new governor of Egypt• Wanted to build an up-to-date European Army

• Established schools, sent officers to France, and started official newspaper• Khedives: line of rulers after Ali

• Same old thing• Cotton and only Cotton

• textile factories and ship building yards • Taxed peasants at high rates and forced them to give up their land to the state• Wanted to build the Suez Canal (1869)

• Vital commercial and military link between European Colony• Controlling it is very important

Suez Canal

Sudan

• Muhammad Achmed• United the diverse people of the Sudan• Believed to be the promised deliverer• Wanted to Purge Islam and return it to its original purity

• Good successors• Khlifa Abdallahi

• Created a very strict Muslim State• 1896 British took them down

The Qing Dynasty

The Manchus• North of the Great Wall• Overthrew the Ming Dynasty• Kept a majority if the Chinese

Traditions• Exam system and

Bureaucrats• Sons of Heaven• Confucian

obedience/loyalty• Female infanticide

• Upper class good lower class not good

Foreign Trade and Unequal treaties

• In the late 18th century, Europeans could trade only in the city of Canton• Europeans commonly bought tea, rhubarb, porcelain, and silk

• Most European products had no market in China• Not only did the Chinese not desire the products the Europeans wanted to

sell, ut they were suspicious of the Europeans.• English Lord Macartney refused to kowtow to the Emperor

Decline

• Internal corruption/bloated bureaucracy• Embezzlement of state funds• Cheating on exam• Problems are too severe to allow for usual dynastic cycle

• population too big• existing system too corrupt• insufficient technology

Opium War (1839)

• European imbalance of trade with China despite equal sophistication• Introduce opium → addictive narcotic• With 40 years, 12 million chinese are addicted

• Chinese demand that British government stop the opium trade • 1839 authorities enforced the law and seized shipments of the drug

• The seizure infuriated the British and brought them to war• British technology overwhelms Chinese

• Especially the fact that the Chinese didn’t have a navy

Treaty of Nanjing signed in 1842

• Extended the old Canton trading port rights of foreigners to four more Chinese ports

• Gives England the island of Hong Kong• Returned to the Chinese July 1st, 1997

• Allows Christian missionaries into China• Grants “extraterritorial rights” → extraterritoriality

Taiping Rebellion (1850-1860)

• Chinese unhappy with Europeans in China• Led by Hong Ziuquan (Shee-oo-choo-ahn)

• “Mentally unstable” Christian convert• Believed he was the younger brother of Jesus and that God wanted him to

overthrow the Qing Dynasty and create a new Christian kingdom in Asia• Raises an army of 1 Million men and women to overthrow Qing government• Takes 10 years for Qing government to regain control

• in 1864 Qing, with help of French and British are able to put down the Rebellion• 20-25 million total casualties

• from warfare and starvation

Reform Efforts in China

• Self-Strengthening Movement → Chinese government’s major reform effort (1861-1895)

• French and British advisors helped China to reform, establishing military, manufacturing, diplomatic corps and tax collection system

• Advanced military technology by training artisans to build shipyard/arsenal items• China repaid debts, participated in trade due to stable government capable of

collecting revenue• China’s strategy: to graft modern technology onto Chinese tradition• Regional warlords demanded certain concessions for remaining loyal to the central

government

Boxer Rebellion

• Poor peasants and workers resented foreigners and missionaries

• Establish the Society of Fists of Righteous Harmony • Boxers

• Attack the European sections of Beijing• A multi-national army

• Defeat the boxers in about 2 minutes• Defeat actually creates a higher sense of nationalism• Social unrest and rebellion continues until 1950s

US Open Door Policy

• The US had no influence in China• Secretary of State John Hay asked other foreign powers to agree

to an Open Door Policy• This Policy would make sure that all powers involved would have

equal trading rights with China• The countries would have to respect China’s territorial integrity