State- Forced Modernization in Turkey from Empire To Republic

Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: The University of Sussex, Intellectual History, İngiltere

Tez Danışmanı: Richard Whatmore

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2013

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Desteklendiği Program: Diğer

Özet:

Turkish modernization dates back to before the Republic of Turkey and has maintained its importance since the day it was introduced. The process we consider as modernization is the continuation or renaming of the processes that were previously called 'innovation', 'reform' or 'westernization' by the Ottomans. Until the 19th century, in the mentioned periods, the Ottomans actually aimed to regain their lost power. In other words, the main purpose of the 'renewal', 'reform' and 'westernization' movements was the restoration of political and military power. Many scholars and thinkers who expressed their views until the 19th century said that this goal could only be achieved by returning to the ancient law.

However, this situation changed with the values advocated by the students who were sent to Europe for education by the Ottomans in the 19th century to serve their own modernization agenda. This study examines the modernization that took place in Turkey with the ingenuity of both the intelligentsia created by the Ottoman state to contribute to the modernization project and the founding fathers of the republic, especially Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In this context, Turkish Modernization is to be framed as state-forced rather than public led. In doing so, brief comparisons were made with their contemporaries.