I read a book about the influence of the İttihat ve Terakki organization in the then Ottoman Empire and I wanted to share my opinion on this book as well as my opinion on this movement.
What is it about?
To understand the topic, you first have to understand what the İttihat ve Terakki is. It is a movement founded by Masons in the Ottoman Empire without the knowledge of the sultan.
For me personally, it was important to know that one of the founders came from Thessaloniki. This is also the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal on the papers.
The members of this movement met regularly and discussed their achievements and goals. The book I’ve read has only included those reports. There were no comments or descriptions received. This allowed me, as a reader, to make my own picture.
What did they do?
In the beginning, this movement was founded with the aim of saving the date-busting Ottoman Empire. Also in the documents I have read that they are subject to the sultan and the caliph.
As a result, of course, they got a lot of followers and could also exercise a corresponding amount of power. The Sultan later learned about this movement and wanted to curb their activities, but they were far too powerful at the time and also received political support from several European countries. Most of Paris.
Some may now think that this is a conspiracy theory, but Ittihat ve Terakki himself has perpetuated this information in their reports.
The sultan’s foresight
Of course, one might ask oneself what the Sultan might have had for a problem with a movement that swore to protect it. This question is answered very quickly.
Every sultan in the Ottoman period was very good at recognizing the intentions of other people and organizations. That was one of the reasons why the Ottoman Empire has become so big and influential. The Sultan realized early that this movement had come under the guise of standing behind the sultan, but had a different purpose.
That is why he has taken measures to prevent the resulting problems, but unfortunately that was not enough. The history books teach and that the Sultan’s attempts to stop this movement were not the result of unjustified paranoia, but based on facts.
The further process
The movement İttihat ve Terakki has increasingly diverged from its basic principles and has increasingly taken as its goal the Europeanization of Turkey. In the end, they also received support from the Young Turks, who were also founded in Paris and sent to the Ottoman Empire.
To put it briefly, then the Trio İttihat ve Terakki, the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal at the top managed to overthrow the Ottoman Empire and found the modernized Turkey, which continues today.
Conclusion
A conclusion on this topic would need its own blog post, but I try to be brief and share with you the lessons I learned.
Know who you are following
This story teaches us to get an accurate picture of who to follow, and to ask ourselves time to time, whether that person, movement, or anything is still in the frame of why i’ve begun to follow.
History is important
The successes of these movements and persons are still solidified in Turkey and were strengthened by the era of Tayyip Erdoğan.
Know your story and do not let yourself be manipulated. Read books yourself and make your own picture!
Read and hear between the lines
All religious and political leaders have an intention. Listen carefully to what they expect you to do and watch what you get involved in. Do not let yourself be used otherwise you can regret your actions if it is way too late.
