Lecture 11 The 1908 Constitutional Revolution and the Young Turk Regime

The Young Turks in Opposition

The Young Turks an umbrella organization for a number of opposition groups which aim was the deposition of Abdlhamid II
Committee of Union and Progress established in 1889 by students in the Royal Medical Academy, spread to other schools; the need to attract wider support led to change in ideology or at least rhetoric Young Turks became advocates of constitutionalism and parliamentarism 1895 organization uncovered, many of its members fled to Europe Until 1902 the organization was dominated by non-Turkish Muslims 1902 congress of the Ottoman opposition in Paris The organization split into two factions one demanding foreign intervention and change of regime in the Empire, the other arguing for a change from within

Rise of an activist Turkist faction within the committee from 1905 onwards main leaders Dr. Bahaeddin akir and Dr. Nazm The ideas of the latter found following among Ottoman military in Macedonia, 1906 unification with the Ottoman Freedom Society a secret organization of Ottoman officers in Selanik The significance of Ottoman Macedonia for the popularization of Turkist and more hard line ideas Macedonia the battleground among various nationalist movements and committees Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Serbian and Albanian 1903 uprising in Macedonia and the introduction of reforms under the supervision of Russia and Austria; foreign intervention seen as a breach to the Empires sovereignty Preceding international developments provided a suitable background Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905, 1905 revolution in Russia, 1906 constitutional revolution in Iran

The Young Turk Revolution and the Second Constitutional Period

Below: A demonstration in support of the revolution in Istanbul

July 3, 1908 beginning of the revolution as a military uprising Ottoman battalions fled to the mountains, joined by Macedonian revolutionary groups; later joined by Ottoman troops from Anatolia who were sent to suppress the uprising Threat to march to the capital July 23/24, 1908 Abdlhamid II issued a decree proclaiming the restoration of the constitution Revolution localized, news about the events did not reach the Ottoman provinces in Anatolia and the Middle East until after the restoration of the constitution Initial popular support of the revolution popularly known as Hrriyet (Freedom) by all Muslim and non-Muslim Ottoman groups Ottoman subjects; it provided the opportunity to overpower various established elites and unpopular practices Abdlhamid II remained a sultan, deposed only in April 1909 after allegedly instigating counterrevolutionary coup Ottoman Empire became a constitutional monarchy

Greek lithograph celebrating the proclamation of the second constitutional period in 1908

September 1908 Bulgarian declaration of independence, October 1908 Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Characteristics of the Young Turk revolution Not a revolution or a large scale popular uprising in the Ottoman Empire but a military insurrection Conservative aim seize control of the Empire and save it from collapse It did produce change but the results differed significantly from the expectations Its heroes were conservatives not liberals Aim restoration of the constitution of 1876 Introduction of a new government one party rule

Second constitutional period 1908-1918 The sultans power was severely restricted, he did not have significant power until the very end of the Ottoman Empire CUP in control of Ottoman government until 1913 indirectly, after 1913 full control First elections and parliamentary representation November-December 1908 elections relatively fair, festive atmosphere Disputes regarding the way of representation between the CUP and some of the non-Muslim opposition groups e.g. Greeks insisted that there should be quotas for the non-Muslims to ensure that they are properly represented Proportional representation in the parliament of Muslim and non-Muslim groups without any quotas

At the museum doctor of philosophy Riza Tevfik Bey gives a lesson of natural history saying: What you see before you are the most terrible of the beasts of the archaic age. They ate a hundred times more than the present day elephant eats. They were insatiable. Its very lucky that today all that is left of them is their fossilized remains. (Kalem, Sept. 1908)

Political Life Under CUP Rule and the Nature of its Regime

CUP began developing authoritarian tendencies soon after it came to power ensuring the survival of the Ottoman state was far more important than the introduction of democratic rule
Political opposition to the CUP Various groups in parliament - liberals, nationalist societies, bureaucrats who wished the restoration of influence of the Sublime Porte, Islamists critical of the secular characteristics of the new regime None of the groups strong enough to challenge CUP rule CUP strategy of dealing with the opposition no outright suppression but efforts to co-opt it; some opposition organizations allegedly joined the CUP voluntarily 31 March incident, 1909 the most significant military challenge to CUP rule - old regime supporters, Islamists, liberals, nationalists launched an uprising in Istanbul, allegedly stirred up by Abdlhamid II; uprising suppressed by the Action Army CUP units from Macedonia, allied with Macedonian revolutionary committees

Members of the Action Army enter Istanbul in 1909

A cartoon published a day after the deposition of Abdlhamid II. Title reads: The former sultan and blood-letter. Caption reads: Is he one of the readers of the novel The Red Mill Murders or one of its protagonists?

Consequences of the 31 March incident Abdlhamid II deposed, Mehmed V Read (1909-1918) installed as the new sultan Harsher measures against the opposition arbitrary introduction of martial law, banning of strikes in the public sector, growing restrictions on press freedom
November 1911 establishment of the Liberal Entente the most significant political challenge to CUP rule won the by-elections in Istanbul General elections of 1912 Elections with the Stick CUP used force to intervene in the elections to secure victory; opposition defeated 6 seats out of 278 seats in parliament

Prelude to the establishment of complete control of the CUP July 1912 military putsch led by military officers against the CUP CUP cabinet made to resign August 1912-January 1913 CUP in opposition The Balkan Wars provided a justification for a CUP counter-action January 1913 the CUP forced the Ottoman government to resign portraying it as inefficient in the face of threat from the Balkan states Opposition assassinated Mahmud evket Pasha a prominent CUP member and leader of the Action Army CUP conducted retaliatory actions, purges and arrests One party rule solidified, military became even more prominent in the CUP regime

A cartoon depicting the Ottoman army represented as a soldier pointing his sword at the double-headed dragon called reaction in order to protect the young freedom. Caption reads: The Army to Freedom Dont worry, my child, I am next to you, my sword is sharp.

The nature of the CUP regime Initially CUP ruled from behind the scenes; institutions continued but they were under the rule of the CUP including the royal court and the Sublime Porte; after 1913 complete CUP control over the bureaucracy Personality cult for Abdlhamid II replaced by an institutional cult for the CUP Increasing prominence of the military in the government Efforts to create the impression that the Committee and the party in parliament were different For a short while after the revolution the CUP came to resemble a mass party with branches throughout the provinces

 For a short while after the revolution the CUP came to resemble a mass party with branches throughout the provinces; however, provincial branches were cut off from the decisions in the center Role of parliament gradually diminished CUP ruled with temporary decrees bypassing the parliament Introduction of press censorship, particularly after 1913 At the same time friendly newspapers were used to propagate CUP ideology and policies In spite of these curbs on democracy, the CUP claimed that it ruled on behalf of the people; national sovereignty a term coined by the CUP Following a period of relative freedom after the revolution, the CUP introduced policies of centralization which provoked a negative reaction among the non-Turkish Muslims Ottomanism started assuming increasingly Turkist undertones

Foreign policy under the CUP Attempts to establish an alliance with a major Great Power Britain or Germany in contrast to Abdlhamid IIs policy of armed neutrality, not very successful Anti-imperialist stance Italian-Ottoman war over Libya, 1911-1912; Ottoman loss Libya became a virtual Italian colony Balkan Wars, 1912-1913

King Ferdinand of Bulgaria to Franz Joseph of Austria and Wilhelm II of Germany: Gentlemen, may I offer you a savory Balkan. Franz Joseph: But it seems its a bit maggoty. Wilhelm II: Well have it! For us maggoty is fine. (Alem, November 1909)

Austria represented as emperor Franz Joseph to Bosnia and Herzegovina: Please, ladies, come. I have been waiting for you for such a long time! (Kalem, Nov. 1908)

Balkan Wars, 1912-1913 First Balkan war, 1912-1913 Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire Second Balkan war, 1913 Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and the Ottoman Empire against Bulgaria Ottoman Empire lost virtually possessions in Europe conquered; consequently, the Empire centered in Anatolia and the Middle East Arrival of many Muslim refugees from the Balkans Rise of Turkish nationalist ideas

The Ottoman Empire in 1914

The Balkan Wars debacles convinced the CUP that the Ottoman Empire needed a Great Power ally

Ottoman efforts to attract Germany support led to Ottoman involvement on the side of the Central Powers during World War I

The Other Three Emperors League the three emperors heading the Central Powers during WWI left to right: Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, Mehmed V, Franz Joesph, the Habsburg emperor

More Important Terms

Committee of Union and Progress Young Turk revolution CUP regime Italian-Ottoman war Balkan Wars Three Types of Politics
All cartoons in this presentation are from Palmira Brummet, Image and Imperialism in the Ottoman Revolutionary Press, 1908-1911 (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000)