The Industrial Revolution and the Ottoman State: Its’ Reflection on the Economic Policies of the Tanzimat Period

Abstract

With the industrial revolution of the 18th century, a new world order was formed such as mechanization, large-volume production, raw material and market needs, division of labor and specialization. The Ottoman state has been in an economic structure based on agriculture, trade and small-scale workshops since the classical period. At this point, industrial production is carried out through state-controlled guilds. The Ottoman state has developed new regulatory policies since the Tanzimat period in order to adapt to this structure with the industrial revolution. It has introduced innovations and reforms in its efforts to support competition and domestic industry, such as the establishment of factory and industrial facilities, incorporation studies, the establishment of industrial schools, and the construction of railway networks. As a matter of fact, administrative weaknesses, deterioration of the timar system, inadequacy of the treasury, traditional economic mentality, capitulations granted to foreign countries, land losses and wars increased foreign dependency and caused damage to the domestic industry. In addition, the fact that the industry did not operate in an industrial order benefiting from capitalist accumulation and did not allow capital accumulation, and the accompanying competent personnel and scientific deficiencies caused the industrial revolution to have negative consequences in the Ottoman state.In this study, it is aimed to examine the effect of the industrial revolution of the Ottoman state on the economic policies of the Tanzimat period, the results it revealed and the applications made.