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==Introduction==__NOTOC__[[File:663px-Sultan_Abd%C3%BClmecid_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|Sultan Abdülmecid implemented the Tanzimat reforms]]The Tanzimat reforms were carried out between 1830 and 1870 in the Ottoman Empire. They were a wide -ranging series of reforms. They included educational, political and economic reforms. They are widely seen as part of the process of modernisation were an attempt at modernization to stop the apparent decline of Ottoman power. The process of modernisation as in so many other countries modernization involved adopting the models and practices of western countries and societies. This was , and it primarily motivated by the need to ensure that the Ottomans were able to compete against the for western powers and to preserve their Empire. The modernisation process in the Ottoman Empire was a way of ensuring that they did not become the subjects of the western powers.<ref>Inalcık, H. and Quataert, D. An Economic and Social History of The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994, p. 189.</ref> During the nineteenth century much of the world became subject to the western powers, especially Britain and France. The article will show that the Tanzimat reforms were only partially successful and they did not halt the Ottoman decline.

Ottoman Soldiers The modernization process in the nineteenth century.<ref>https://www.pinterest.com/pin/302867143667462226?</ref>==Decline of Ottoman Empire==Until the 18th century the Ottoman Turks were at least as powerful as the great European powers. However, from the mid-1750, it became apparent that the Ottomans could not compete militarily with the great European powers, including Russian and the Hapsburg Empire.<ref>Qevket Pamuk Institutional Change and the Longevity of the Ottoman Empire, 1500–1800. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, vol xxxv:2, Autumn, 2004, p.247.</ref> In successive conflicts the armies of the Sultan, once invincible, were defeated and the Empire was losing territory. It appeared that their Christian enemies were slowly dismembering the Empire and that the existence a way of the realm was in danger.’.<ref>Parmuk, p. 235.</ref> It soon became apparent ensuring that the Ottoman armies, could they did not compete with the European armies. This meant that the Ottoman Turks were increasingly vulnerable to the European. The economic system that prevailed in become the Empire in 1800 was largely similar to that subjects of the fifteenth century, it was clearly unsuitable to the needs of a society that had to compete with the European nations, who were being transformed by the industrial revolutionwestern powers. <ref> Inalcık, H. and Quataert, D. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521343151/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521343151&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=cc66c7ad16506b01ae1292a0e287e33a An Economic and Social History of The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914]''. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 189. </ref> There was a recognition that there needed During the nineteenth century, much of the world became subject to be economic changes the western powers, especially Britain and also accompanying political and legal France. The Tanzimat reforms. These were necessary because the Sultan only partially successful and his advisors accepted that did not halt the Ottoman Empire had to modernize in order to preserve the Empiredecline.

Istanbul in ==Why was the nineteenth century.<ref> Thomas Allom - 19th century engraving, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.phpOttoman Empire Declining?curid=2044654 </ref> Political and Legal Changes= Among the most significant changes of the Tanzimat reforms were education[[File:Kırım_Savaşı,_Türk_piyadeleri_1854_senesi. Previously education was dominated by jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|Ottoman infantry soldiers]]Until the Islamic Clerics18th century, and this was changed during the period.<ref> Incalek and Quatert, p. 103.</ref> The Ottoman government established schools and universities on Turks were at least as powerful as the western modelgreat European powers. This was designed to allow However, from the mid-1750s, Ottomans have the skills to run the economy and society in a modern way power declined, and to develop the technology they needed to develop modern armies could not compete militarily with Russian and the economy need to sustain such forces. The Tanzimat reforms also provided political changes that were designed to improve the status of the non- Muslim population. They were granted equal status before the law with Muslims, for the first timeHapsburg Empire.<ref> Suleyman Celenk Secularization Process in Qetvket Pamuk "Institutional Change and the History Longevity of Turkish Educationthe Ottoman Empire, 1500–1800". ''Journal Social Scienceof Interdisciplinary History'', vol vol 19(xxxv:2): 2009, Autumn, 2004, p. 101247.</ref> These reforms sought to secure In successive conflicts, the allegiance of the diverse ethnic and religious groups of the Empire. The reforms also attempted to restrict the power armies of the Sultan and to ensure the rule of law throughout the land. There , once invincible, were even attempts to start a multi-party system. The Ottomans sought to emulate the more advanced western models to enable their society to modernize. The Ottoman government began to centralize authority into its own hands in order to ensure that the Tanzimat reforms succeeded despite the opposition of Islamic religious leaders consistently defeated and the majority Muslim populationEmpire lost territory.<ref>Attila Ayetkin, ‘Peasant Protest in Their Christian adversaries slowly dismembered the Late Ottoman Empire: Moral Economy, Revolt, and the Tanzimat Reforms’. International Review of Social History. Vol 57, August 2012, pp 191-227</ref>==Economic Reforms==The Ottoman Empire’s economy was much influenced by Muslim economic theories. These favoured state intervention, protectionism and frowned upon the profit motive. The Ottoman reformers knew that they had to liberalize the economy if they were to have the resources to contend with the Europeans. The Tanzimat reforms attempted to introduce many ambitious economic and financial reforms, including the abolition survival of guilds, free trade, the right to private property and a new tax system. New banks were established, despite the Islamic religious elite denouncing interest payments as Riba or usury, which empire was contrary to the Koran. The Sultan and his government also began to move towards the lifting of barriers on trade and abandoned protectionism. The Ottoman government in order to implement their secular projects as part of the Tanzimat Reforms, established courts that oversaw economic regulation. The Napoleonic Trade Laws were adopted from the 1850sthreatened.<ref>Hanioglu, M. Sukru. A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2008)Parmuk, p. 141235. </ref> The Islamic courts still issues decrees on Sharia Law, both in urban and tribal areas, but increasingly they were unable to arbitrate in the areas of economic regulation. These changes were all designed to develop Just as the Ottoman Economy. The changes made were all based on the western model. This military power was partly because the Ottoman Caliph sought to replicate the policies of the western governments to become as powerful as they had in recent decades.<ref>Jason Goodwinmarginalized, Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empiretheir archaic economic system was becoming less viable. (Penguin Books, Hamondsworth,2003, p. 189.</ref>==Impact of the Tanzimat==

The economic system that prevailed in the Empire in 1800 had transformed little since the fifteenth century. The antiquated economy could not compete with the European nations that were being transformed by the industrial revolution. <ref>Inalcık, H. and Quataert, D. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521343151/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521343151&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=cc66c7ad16506b01ae1292a0e287e33a An Economic and Social History of The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914]''. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 189.</ref> The leaders of the Ottoman recognized that there needed to be an economic revolution accompanied by extensive political and legal reforms. The Sultan and his advisors accepted that the Ottoman Empire had to modernize to survive. ==What were the Tanzimat Reforms?== [[File:Thomas_allom,_c1840,_The_Enterance_to_Divan.png|thumbnail|left|250px|Entrance to the Divan Istanbul in the nineteenth century by Thomas Allom]]The Tanzimat reforms focused heavily on reforming the Ottoman education system. The Islamic Clerics had dominated Ottoman education, but the reforms reduced their influence.<ref>Incalek and Quartet, p. 103.</ref> The Ottoman government created schools and universities based on the western European model. This was designed to allow the Ottomans to run the economy and society in a modern way and develop the technology they needed to develop modern armies and the economy need to sustain such forces. The Tanzimat reforms also provided political changes that were designed to improve the status of the non-Muslim population. They were granted equal status before the law with Muslims for the first time.<ref>Salesman "Celenk Secularization Process in the History of Turkish Education." ''Journal Social Science'', vol 19(2): 2009, p. 101</ref>  These reforms sought to secure the allegiance of the diverse ethnic and religious groups of the Empire. The reforms also attempted to restrict the Sultan's power and ensure the rule of law throughout the land. There were even attempts to start a multi-party system. The Ottomans sought to emulate the more advanced western models to enable their society to modernize. The Ottoman government began to centralize authority into its own hands to ensure that the Tanzimat reforms succeeded despite Islamic religious leaders and the majority Muslim population.<ref>Attila Ayetkin, "Peasant Protest in the Late Ottoman Empire: Moral Economy, Revolt, and the Tanzimat Reforms" ''International Review of Social History''. Vol 57, August 2012, pp 191-227</ref> ==What were the Economic Changes made under the Tanzimat Reforms?==Muslim economic theories influenced the Ottoman Empire's economy. These favored state intervention, protectionism and frowned upon the profit motive. The Ottoman reformers realized they had to liberalize the economy if they wanted to generate sufficient capital to contend with the European nations. The Tanzimat reforms attempted to introduce a series of economic and financial reforms, including the abolition of guilds, free trade, the right to private property, and a new tax system. Despite the Islamic religious elite denouncing interest payments as Riba or usury, new banks were established since it was contrary to the Koran. The Sultan and his government also moved towards the lifting of barriers on trade and abandoned protectionism.  To implement their secular projects as part of the Tanzimat Reforms, the Ottoman government established courts that oversaw economic regulation. The Napoleonic Trade Laws were adopted from the 1850s.<ref>Hanioglu, M. Sukru. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691146179/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691146179&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0f59e5dcf94fb5c39ee9efb78a011bf7 A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire]'' (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2008), p. 141. </ref> The Islamic courts still issue decrees on Sharia Law, both in urban and tribal areas, but increasingly they were unable to arbitrate in the areas of economic regulation. These changes were all designed to develop the Ottoman Economy.  The changes made were all based on the western model. This shift was partly because the Ottoman Caliph sought to replicate the Western governments' policies to become as powerful as they had in recent decades.<ref>Jason Goodwin, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312420668/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0312420668&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=dce09584fbe6824c3500d532ee9fd797 Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire]''. (Penguin Books, Hamondsworth,2003, p. 189.</ref> ==Did the Tanzimat Reforms Fail?==The reforms had a real but limited impact on the Ottoman Empire. The education system was completely secularized and a . A new secular elite was to receive their created through this new education process in this the schools. The economic reforms did change the nature of the Ottoman Economy and ended the religious regulation of the economy. The economic changes also brought a measure of prosperity to the populationits citizens. This result was mainly because as due to the increase in trade between the Turks and Europe. Because the Turks traded more with Europeans , they now had access to new technologies and this which helped to modernize the economy. Many While some Turks benefitted from the reforms, the impact of the inhabitants lives in reforms was fairly shallow. Still, many Ottomans did not reap any tangible rewards from the Empire were not really changed Tanzimat reforms.  It should be noted that while Banks were established and modern economic practices were introduced the majority for the population were not impacted upon. The rights of individual citizens were technically improved , but in reality , the Sultan still had almost unlimited power over his subjects. Furthermore, the Sultan remained the absolute rule of the Empire. The reforms had changed the Empire , but it had failed to modernize the realm. The Ottomans still had failed to modernize not modernized their country , and they remained behind their European neighboursneighbors. Instead, to whom they continued to lose territory, in the Balkansto their European neighbors.  ==Conclusion==The Ottoman Government government was forced to adopt economic reforms in order to ensure that it had the sufficient resources to compete with the western powers. They adopted modernizing and secularizing policies in order to transform the economy. The reforms were radical and contrary to the Muslim ethos of the Empire and the Islamic scholars. The Ottoman Government government was able to impose its will on an often reluctant population, as it bid to make the changes necessary to ensure the survival of the Empire. The reform projects were only partially successfully successful as they failed to modernize the realm and ensure its survival beyond World War I.  <div class="portal" style="width:85%;"> ====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====*[[How did Medicine develop in the Ancient World?]]*[[Causes of World War II Top Ten Booklist]]*[[Gilded Age/Progressive Era History Top Ten Booklist]]</div> ====References====