Ottoman Empire: From Reform to Collapse (Summer 2024)

This final instalment of the Ottoman Empire series shall examine how the Ottoman Empire went through a series of reforms to save the fortunes of the Empire but eventually collapsed after WWI. This reform period is famously known as the Tanzimat period. After the Tanzimat period, we see the arrival of the ‘pious sultan’ Abdulhamid II. Abdulhamid’s reign was the longest in two centuries, and he was in power for 33 years. He emphasised the idea of the Ottoman Caliphate, a policy deemed “Pan-Islamic” by the Western European powers. The Sultan’s reign ended due to the Constitutional Revolution enacted by the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) in 1908, which demanded the return of the Ottoman constitutional experiment first attempted in 1876. No sooner did the CUP come to power that the Italians invaded Libya in 1911, and the Balkan wars between 1912-13, paved the way for WWI in 1914. By 1918, the Empire had collapsed and lost the Balkan and Arab provinces. However, this led to the Turkish War of Independence, which was then followed by the abolishment of the institution of the Ottoman Caliphate and the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1922-1924.

This 8-week course shall be two hours a week online, with reading material and two essays shall be given. This course is part of a three-part course that will chart the whole Ottoman Empire's history.

Course requirements:

Class preparation, attendance, and participation. Participation will be a Q and A section after each lecture.

One end of term essay of 1,500 words

Attendance:

While this is an online course, students are expected to attend all the lectures and complete any set essays for the course. Attendance is required for at least 75% of the classes, and while attendance registers will not be taken at the start of the classes, a note will be made on who is attending.  Absences can disrupt the classes, so please try to attend as much as possible. There is a recording of the class available but it is for a limited time only.