Tanzimat and the Idea of Ottomanism

Ottoman reformers tried to answer nationalism with reform: the Tanzimat ('reorganization') era began with the Edict of Gülhane in 1839, which promised security of life and property and fair taxation for all subjects. The Reform Edict of 1856 went further, promising equality for Muslims and non-Muslims in taxation, military service and access to office. Reformers promoted Ottomanism, the idea that all subjects, whatever their religion or language, could share a common Ottoman citizenship and loyalty.

In 1876 the empire adopted its first constitution and opened a parliament. But Sultan Abdulhamid II suspended the constitution in 1878 during war with Russia and ruled autocratically for thirty years, increasingly emphasizing Islam as a source of unity. Ottomanism faced resistance from some Muslims who resented losing their privileged status and from Christian nationalists who wanted independence rather than equality. Historians debate whether the reforms came too late or whether nationalism made a shared Ottoman identity impossible.