A
Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
1300-1922
Joshua Lim
There were a lot of issues that lead to the Ottoman empire's downfall. One of the main key issues that led to the Ottoman empire's
decline was corruption. People such as government officials would use government funds for personal enjoyment which lead to
an unstable economy not leaving a lot of money for the peasants. This would make the peasants angry and in return, they would
revolt (a big peasant revolt was the Young Turks Revolution). Another issue that led to the empire's decline was attacks from rival
states. These rival states would include the Christian and Muslim states around the empire. The Ottomans also failed to capitalize on
using technology from outside states. Their pride in their own nation kept them in their bubble while the rest of the world was
evolving, ex:// Europeans using more efficient firearms versus the Ottomans' older cannons (this would lead to the Ottomans losing in
conflicts in between other empires with more able technology).
The Ottoman decline was a slow one that started many many decades before it actualized. The final blow to the Ottoman's
demise was allying with Germany during World War 1. This would be in 1922. The Ottoman's and Germanys' trade would also
be outdated compared to other nations such as Britain and France. For the majority of the war, the Ottomans attempted to
protect Constantinople, however, in trying to protect Constantinople, the Ottoman empire lost millions of soldiers which left their
army weak and vulnerable. After Germanys' loss in World War 2, the Ottomans signed a peace treaty with Britain. After losing so
many troops and the empire filled with corruption the Ottoman empire soon dissolved.
1922
The Turkish Republic
The Turkish republic is a continuation of the Ottoman Empire itself. The Ottoman Empire also left a significant legacy in their cultural
sphere, more particularly their architecture. Buildings that were created back in the
Ottoman Empire time still has an impact today such as in modern-day Istanbul.
Some other legacies left behind are traditional music, handicrafts, and literature. Some imprints of the ottoman
empire can also be seen in the historical and
political roots of the Republican era. During the 19th century continuation of westernization in the Ottoman
Empire also caused the momentum of the
Republic era.
Joshua Lim
Joshua Lim
The Slow Death of the Ottoman Empire
There were a lot of issues that lead to the Ottoman empire's downfall. One of the main key issues that led to the Ottoman empire's
decline was corruption. People such as government officials would use government funds for personal enjoyment which lead to
an unstable economy not leaving a lot of money for the peasants. This would make the peasants angry and in return, they would revolt
(a big peasant
revolt was the Young Turks Revolution). Another issue that led to the empire's decline was attacked from rival states. These rival states
would include
the Christian and Muslim states around the empire. The Ottomans also failed to capitalize on
using technology from outside states. Their pride in their own nation kept them in their bubble while the rest of the world was evolving,
ex://
Europeans used more efficient firearms versus the Ottomans' older cannons (this would lead to the Ottomans losing in conflicts in
between other
empires with more able technology).
There were various factors that weakened the Ottoman Empire. Most of it stemmed from stubbornness and bad judgment. Their
stubbornness to use technology from other states made them behind and left them vulnerable to the power of newer technology.
The Ottoman Empire also had corrupt and self-gratifying sultans who would spend heaps of money on themselves
and their wives instead of using that money for the Empire. It could be argued that this is not the Sultan's fault but rather the fault
of the political system, whenever there is a dictatorship the empire almost never stays afloat for a long time. Bad decisions from
leaders
also led to the weakening of the empire ex:// siding with Germany during WWI.
The Ottoman decline was a slow one that started many many decades before it actualized. The final blow to the Ottoman's
demise was allying with Germany during World War 1. This would be in 1922. The Ottoman's and Germanys' trade would also
be outdated compared to other nations such as Britain and France. For the majority of the war, the Ottomans attempted to
protect Constantinople, however, in trying to protect Constantinople, the Ottoman empire lost millions of soldiers which left their
army weak and vulnerable. After Germanys' loss in World War 2, the Ottomans signed a peace treaty with Britain. After losing so
many troops and
the empire filled with corruption the Ottoman empire soon dissolved.
My friend Michael did the Mughal Empire and I analyzed how they expanded. The Mughal Empire was one of the first
empires to
capitalize on gun powder. At the Mughals Empire peak, they were one of the only empires to have gunpowder weapons
such as cannons
because other smaller states could simply not afford the same weapons. The Mughals took advantage of this and
expanded using their
weapons to maximum efficiency.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empires
literature was Ottoman
Turkish. Their literature was
influenced by Persian and
Arabic literature.
The Ottoman Empire followed
Sunni Islamic. A good thing about
them were that they were
religiously tolerant. The followed
the rule of people of the book (in
their Empire the saw Christians as
people of the book). They also
utilised the Millet System to take
care of laws and taxation.
There were multiple leaders in the
Ottoman era that had a big impact on the
Empire. The biggest one was Sultan
Osman I. He founded the Ottoman
Turkish state which would be the state
that would "survive" some of the initial
downfalls. Another big figure was
Mehmed II. He took over Constantinople
which would become the Empire's
capital. He also led a battle that would
obliterate the Byzantine Empire.
The Ottoman Empire's Societal Infracture included a
lot of different ethnicities and religions due to their
religious tolerance. The Muslims were at the top, then
non-Muslims from the people of the book (these
people had to pay a tax to the government). The
"hierarchy" went in the following order: Sultan, Royal
Family, Bureaucrats and Soldiers, Merchants, Slaves,
and Peasants.
The Ottoman Empire was an
absolute monarchy. It had one ruler
which would be the Sultan. The
Sultan would be able to make any
decisions he pleased and there
would be no government official
that could challenge his decisions.
The Ottoman Empire expressed its art through
architecture, more specifically Mosques. They were
inspired by Islamic architecture. Their technology was
a little behind the rest of the world at the time because
the Ottoman Empire refused to use foreign ideas.
They were stuck with old-style cannons while the rest
of the world had moved on.
The Ottoman Empire used peasants for their
labor. However, they would not pay these
peasants for their work. They also had the
Devisherme (Christian boys the government
took from an early age to work for them), the
Devisherme would work more in the military as
opposed to the peasants who worked in
agriculture.
The Ottoman Empire used the Silk Road for
trading. They had total control over the Silk
Road and would tax people who wished to use
the route. They exported luxury goods such as
silk and cotton. They would import European
goods.