The Young Turks rebelled against Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II’s authoritarian rule, advocating for a constitutionally based, secular government. Their revolution established Turkish nationalism and pride, but also led to misguided foreign policy decisions and the Armenian Genocide.
The Young Turks were an incredibly diverse group of Turkish nationals who rebelled against the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II and his extremely authoritarian rule in the early 20th century. They are often credited with laying the foundation for the modernization of the Ottoman Empire and played a very important role in Turkish history. The Young Turks’ association with radical ideas and revolutionary change is so widespread that the term is often used slang to refer to groups of young, politically active individuals campaigning for change.
The origins of the Young Turks date back to 1889, when an atmosphere of quiet dissent began to spread across the Ottoman Empire, especially among disaffected military and students. After a short period of constitutional rule from 1876 to 1878, the Sultan suspended the Turkish Constitution, causing much unrest among many Ottoman citizens. The Young Turks began meeting in small cells to talk about creating a constitutionally based, secular government as an alternative to the current Turkish monarchy, and the movement spread rapidly until 1906, when they came out of hiding and began actively agitating for change. .
Two years later, the Young Turk Revolution took place, restoring the Turkish Constitution and stripping the sultan of civil rights. They instituted a number of reforms, some of them extremely progressive. A coup d’état took place in 1913, which ousted a number of the “Old Turks” from power and firmly established the position of the “Three Pashas”, three men who ruled Turkey until the end of the First World War.
The Young Turk Revolution established a sense of Turkish nationalism and pride. Their reforms to Turkish governance and public opinion helped usher Turkey into the 20th century and set the stage for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his Republic of Turkey, which arose from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire dismantled after World War I world. The modern Turkish state would probably be a very different place if the Young Turks hadn’t found the courage to act. a
While the Young Turks certainly set in motion radical reforms in Turkey, they also destroyed the Ottoman Empire with misguided foreign policy decisions, starting with the disastrous choice to enter World War I on Germany’s side. Historical evidence also shows that the three pashas were responsible for the mass murder and deportation of Armenians during World War I which came to be known as the Armenian Genocide.
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