Исторически преглед

Издание на Института за исторически изследвания при БАН

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From Empire to Republic: The Young Turk Movement and Its Role in the Modernization of the Late Ottoman Empire – Assessments in Contemporary Turkish Historiography

Пътят от империя към република: младотурското движение и ролята му в модернизацията на късната Османска империя – оценките на съвременната турска историография

Исторически преглед, 81 (2025) No. 4, pp. 7-36 (ISSN 0323-9748)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/IPR4.25.NV01

Nadezhda Vasileva / Надежда Василева

Institute of Balkan Studies & Center of Thracology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The transformation of the Ottoman Empire into the Turkish Republic was a complex and protracted process that unfolded over several decades. Its foundations were laid by the Young Turk movement, which emerged in the 19th century. Remaining within the ideological framework of Ottomanism, the leaders of the Young Turk Revolution envisioned the modernization of the empire through the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. Although they did not fully embrace the principles of republicanism and secularism later championed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Young Turks, through their ideas and reformist initiatives, succeeded in cultivating a generation that would ultimately establish the Turkish Republic.

The Kemalist Revolution built upon the groundwork laid by the Young Turks’ modernization efforts. Following the proclamation of the Turkish Republic on 29 October 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced a series of profound and far-reaching reforms over the course of approximately fifteen years, aimed at constructing a modern, secular nation-state. The radical nature of these transformations continues to spark debate and remains a source of division within Turkish society today.

This study analyzes the continuity between the reformist ideology of the Young Turks and the political transformations of the Kemalist era, with particular emphasis on the evaluations and interpretations offered in contemporary Turkish historiography. It also traces the ideological evolution of the Ottoman modernization project, culminating in the establishment of the republican model.

Keywords: Young Turk movement, reforms, Ottoman Empire, Republic of Turkey.