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Chapter 10 – 11
Chapter 10: “European Interests &
Imperialism”
Chapter 11: “Westernizing Reform in 19th
Century”
Ottoman Weakness
• In 1683, Ottomans fails to take Vienna
• 1699 they cede Hungary to Habsburg Empire
and Aegean Coast to Venetians
• 1714 they lost Crimea
• 1798 Napoleon occupies Egypt and invades
Palestine
Westernizing Reform in 19th Century
“European power rose so dramatically
between the 16th and 19th centuries
that every other part of the world
had to adapt or go under” (p.169)
Egypt – 19th Century
• Napoleon was sent by France’s
revolutionary government in 1798 to
conquer Egypt, Syria and Iraq. He
defeated the Mamluks and occupied
Cairo
• Read Napoleon’s statement (p.171 –
172)
• France’s occupation was harsh and
hated. Lasted until 1801 when Brits
and Ottomans pushed him out.
• Egypt remained as an autonomous
part of the Ottoman Empire
• Mehmet Ali (an Albanian who came w/ Ottoman force in 1799 to
dislodge Napoleon) takes power
• Ali has all the Mamluks massacred in 1811
• Ali puts private land under state control, thus giving him control of
agricultural lands
• “Egypt became the first Middle Eastern country to make the shift
from subsistence agriculture to cash crop farming” (p.173)
• Ali uses revenues for industrial and military development
• Ali forces Egyptians to serve as soldiers
• Ali breaks ties with Ottomans when he aligns with western powers
against the Ottomans in the Greek independence war
• Egypt takes Syria from Ottomans in 1832
Westernization of Ottoman Empire
• Sultan Selim III (r. 1789 – 1807) failed with
military reform efforts. Janissaries kill him and
much of Ottoman family
• Janissaries – elite Ottoman infantry units
comprised of Christian youth and prisoners of
war
• Sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808 – 1839) enters throne
with many problems to deal with:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Balkan provinces were basically being run by
warlords
Cities within Anatolia were being held by
janissaries
Russia was invading Romania
Ottoman allies, the Brits, were tangled up with
Napoleon
Mahmud II
• Mahmud sought to westernize by reorganizing
military and centralized power
• In 1826, he suddenly struck against and defeated the
janissaries
• Brought in new weapons and European military
instructors
• Expanded military and naval engineering schools
• Abolished lower political posts to centralize power
back into Sultan’s hands
Military Defeat and European Protection
(Ottomans)
• In 1829, with Russian help and backing of western powers, Greece won
independence from the Ottoman Empire despite Mahmud’s reorganized
military
• Mahmud’s army is also unable to dislodge Egyptians from Syria in 1833
• Ottomans realize they need military protection
• Hunkar – Iskelesi Treaty is forged between Russia and Ottoman Empire in
1833:
1.
2.
Russia will defend the Ottomans
Ottomans grant Russian warships the right to pass through the Straits of
Europe
Tanzimat Era (Reorginization)
(Ottomans)
• Abdulmejid (r. 1839 – 1861) reforms
Ottoman public life:
1. Establishes state school system
2. Creates network of roads, canals and
rail lines
3. Created a modern financial system
with a Central Bank and currency
• When Russia began its attempts to gain control in the Balkans,
the Ottomans broke away and sided with the British and
French. (hence gaining military protection from them)
• They all clash in the Crimean War (1853 – 1856). Ottomans,
with British and French help, win the war and regain control
of the Balkans
• As a result of its latest alliance with western powers,
Abdulmejid issues the 1856 Imperial Rescript which gives all
Ottoman subjects equal protection under the law
• This angers Muslims who don’t want to give Christians and
Jews any power
Expansion of Ottoman Empire
Decline of Ottoman Empire
Persia Under the Qajars
(1794 – 1925)
• “Persia was the only country outside the Arabian Peninsula
never absorbed by the Ottomans” (p.180)
• Russia, pushing southward, had visions of taking the Persian
Gulf region
• Britain, concerned with defense of India and spread of
Russian power, backed the Persian government even as they
seized parts of its southern territory
• Qajars based themselves in the mountain city of Tehran while
countryside was ruled by absentee landlords and nomads
• We must mention Fath Ali Shah (r. 1797 – 1834) :
1. 158 wives
2. 103 children
3. 600 grandchildren
• Nasiruddin Shah (r. 1848 – 1896) made
attempts at western reform but was
more interested in personal wealth and
treasures
• “Instead of using reform to protect Persia
from foreigners, the Shah encouraged
them to take over his country” (p.182)
Reasons Why Westernizing Reforms
Had Little Success in Middle East
1. Muslim culture and values were threatened
2.
Reforms were costly
3.
Was a lack of trained personnel to run westernized institutions
4.
Western powers were really only in the region pursuing financial
interests, and abandoned Middle East powers when their interests
weren’t at stake
5.
Russia continuously weakened the Ottoman and Persian Empires
by attacking their borders, causing both to focus on military and
defense at all costs
** All of these setbacks would lead to the rise of nationalism in the
Middle East **