The Young Ottomans: The First Opposition to Modernization (Yeni Osmanlılar)

The Young Ottomans (Yeni Osmanlılar, or “New Ottomans”) were a secret movement of intellectuals, bureaucrats, and journalists that emerged in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century. They represented the first organized opposition to the Tanzimat (Reorganization) Reforms, specifically criticizing the authoritarian method by which these reforms were imposed by the governing elite, led by statesmen like Âli Pasha and Fuad Pasha.

Origins and Critique of the Porte Regime

The movement formed around 1865, amidst an environment of disillusionment. The Tanzimat reformers had modernized the army, law, and bureaucracy following European models, but in the process, they had concentrated immense power in the figure of the Grand Vizier and the central bureaucracy.

The Young Ottomans’ main critique focused on the authoritarian and secularizing nature of the “Porte” (the central government). They argued that the regime of Âli Pasha and Fuad Pasha was a “dictatorship of the Porte” that:

1. Ignored the People: Centralized power and marginalized local elements and intellectuals in decision-making.

2. Uncritically Imitated the West: Adopted European institutions without regard for Islamic and Ottoman principles or culture.

The Search for a Political Synthesis

Unlike the Tanzimat reformers, who primarily drove modernization for reasons of military survival, the Young Ottomans were inspired by Western political ideals such as liberty and homeland (vatan), though they rejected the idea of complete secularization.

Their ideology, therefore, was based on a synthesis that sought to reform the political system without abandoning traditional identity.

Firstly, they demanded Constitutionalism: the promulgation of a Constitution (Kanun-ı Esasî) and the establishment of a Parliament. This was essential to limit the autocratic power of the Sultan and the Grand Vizier, thereby guaranteeing individual freedoms.

Secondly, they vigorously promoted Ottoman Patriotism (Vatan). This concept of a common homeland sought to unite all subjects of the Empire—Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike—under the shared identity of being “Ottomans,” thus countering rising nationalist movements.

Finally, they advocated for a Fusion of Cultures. Their approach was selective: they were willing to adopt the science, technology, and functional political institutions of the West, but they insisted that these must be integrated with the principles and morality of Islamic and Ottoman tradition, avoiding uncritical imitation.

Influential Figures and Exile

The movement was primarily composed of bureaucrats, journalists, and poets, many of whom were trained in the same school of diplomacy as the Tanzimat.

· Namık Kemal (1840-1888): A poet, playwright, and journalist, he became the most passionate voice of the movement. His play Vatan Yahut Silistre (Homeland or Silistre) was fundamental in popularizing the concept of homeland in the Empire.

· Ziya Pasha: An important poet and writer who denounced the corruption and Westernized lifestyle of the Istanbul elite

Grand Vizier Âli Pasha saw them as a direct threat to central authority. He used censorship and repression, closing their newspapers and forcing many of their leaders into exile in Europe (especially Paris and London), where they continued to publish and articulate their critiques.

Legacy and Consequences

Although the Young Ottomans did not manage to establish a lasting government, their ideas left a profound mark:
1. The Constitution of 1876: Following Âli Pasha’s death and the ensuing instability, the group (especially through the influence of Midhat Pasha) achieved its main objective. In 1876, they forced Sultan Abdülhamid II to promulgate the first Ottoman Constitution (Kanun-ı Esasî) and convene a parliament. This began the First Constitutional Era (1876-1878).

2. Transition to the Young Turks: The constitutional movement was short-lived, as Sultan Abdülhamid II suspended the Constitution in 1878. However, the struggle for constitutionalism was picked up decades later by a successor group, more militarily organized and secular, known as the Young Turks, who would restore the Constitution in 1908.

In essence, the Young Ottomans went down in history not for the power they wielded, but for having articulated for the first time in the Empire a political discourse demanding accountability, representation, and a balance between Western modernization and Islamic identity.