What is Ottoman History
The Ottomans, who established a great state consisting of various nations for about 600 years, II. In the six years since the proclamation of the constitutional monarchy, it lost all its lands beyond Libya and Edirne. Especially the loss of Rumelia, where the most fertile lands were located, had a great impact on the Young Turks, and they began to concentrate their policies on Anatolia. After the loss of land, the majority of its population had passed to the Turks. Since 1911, the Committee of Union and Progress had translated its Ottoman program into Turkish. The Union and Progress government would adopt Turkism as the only solution instead of Ottomanism and Islamism, which were proposed to prevent the disintegration of the Empire.
After escaping abroad, Talat Pasha would explain this change with these words: “People often remember their poor relatives only when they are in the same situation.” one
Turkish national identity has appeared on the stage of history very late. It is only at the beginning of the 20th century that serious consideration of what the Turkish national identity is or should be.
Reasons for this delay: (according to Taner Akçam) 2
1- The most important reason is Islam. The Islamic identity in the Ottomans developed with the forgetting of Turkishness.
2- The fact that the Ottomans were a great empire also affected their historical consciousness, and they remained unfamiliar with concepts such as homeland and nation.
3- Since the main purpose of the ruling group of the Ottoman History State was to protect the multinational state structure, they did not openly claim their national identity.
4- The main purpose was to save the disintegrating empire and to prevent its disintegration. Therefore, Turkism was the worst of the existing choices. Because it excluded both Christians and non-Turkish Muslims.
5- Another important reason for the delay is the late arrival of racist thoughts, which are effective in the emergence of national identity.
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