The idea of Ottomanism in the history of Ottomanids

Concurrent with the decline in the politico-economical power of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, the signs of nationalistic vigilance appeared among the minorities living inside the Empire and their demand for independence and autonomy confronted the authorities with a serious challenge which was also new and unprecedented. How could they protect the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire and save it from the danger of division and disintegration? The most important and the first political ideology that reached for a solution to this question, was the Ottomanism Notion. This ideology, which is considered as the main factor behind the Ottoman Empire’s socio-political reforms throughout the 19th century, from the regulation to the end of the second constitutionalism, tried to recuperate unity and solidarity among the Empire’s nationals through granting them equal rights and involving them in administration of the national affairs. This essay tries to examine the nature and aspects of this policy and its effectiveness in solving the Ottoman Empire’s difficulties.