The Young Turks: The Committee of Union and Progress in Turkish Politics, 1908-1914

219 Pages·1969·5.258 MB·English

by  Feroz Ahmad

THE YOUNG TURKS

THE
YOUNG TURKS
THE COMMITTEE OF
UNION AND PROGRESS IN
TURKISH POLITICS
1908-1914
FEROZ AHMAD
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
969
ï
Oxford University Press, Ely House, London, W. i
GLASGOW NEW YORK TORONTO MELBOURNE WELLINGTON
CAPE TOWN SALISBURY IBADAN NAIROBI LUSAKA ADDIS ABABA
BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS KARACHI LAHORE DACCA
KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE HONG KONG TOKYO
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 1969
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
TO
MY MOTHER AND
FATHER

PREFACE
book is a study of a political society called the Committee
This
of Union and Progress between
(Ittihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti)
the years 1908 and 1914. Because of the role it played in the
Young Turk revolution which forced Sultan Abdiilhamid1 to
restore the 1876 Constitution, the CUP emerged as the dominant
political group in the Ottoman Empire. But the Committee's
position did not remain unchallenged for long. Political forces
which had previously been obscured by the struggle against the
Palace came to the surface, and there began a period of political
activity, socio-economic change, and debate unequalled in the
history of modem Turkey.
This study endeavours to show that, though the Committee
emerged from the revolution as the most powerful single group,
its monopoly of political power was not automatically guaranteed.
Political and social conditions prevailing within and outside the
Empire forced the CUP to share power with such traditional
ruling groups as the bureaucratic élite, symbolized by the Sublime
Porte ( ) and the army. Furthermore, the Committee was
BabIâli
not a monolithic political organization, and the internal divisions
prevented it from putting up a united front and assuming power.
It was only in 1913-14 that the Committee succeeded in resolving
the major internal conflicts and cleavages. In the six years under
review, the social and political attributes of the CUP were also
undergoing constant change. By 1914 the Committee had nar­
rowed down its affiliations and was in a position to establish the
so-called ‘triumvirate’ of Enver, Talât, and Cemal. These figures
were in themselves manifestations of factions in the CUP.
This book is based on a study which was accepted by the
University of London as a Ph.D. thesis. It has been thoroughly
revised and much new material has been added. The original
study was written under the guidance of Professor Bernard
Lewis, who not only supervised but always encouraged and
inspired. It is my very pleasant duty to express my thanks and
1 A very brief sketch of most of the personalities encountered in the text is
given in the Biographical Appendix.
viii PREFACE
acknowledge my gratitude to him. The thesis was revised while I
was Senior Reseach Fellow at the School of International Affairs,
Columbia University, New York, during the year 1966-7. I
should like to thank Dean Andrew Cordier and the School for
their generous hospitality and for a most pleasant year. At Colum­
bia it was my good fortune to work with Professor Dankwart A.
Rustow, and the study owes much to his innumerable suggestions
and vast store of knowledge. My grateful thanks are due to
Professor Rustow for putting at my disposal both his time and
his notes gathered over the years. I wish to thank Professor J. C.
Hurewitz for reading my manuscript and making many helpful
suggestions; and Professor Charles Issawi for valuable advice on
technical matters. It is also my pleasure to acknowledge my debt
to Dr. Mohammad Sadiq of Aligarh University, who was both a
colleague and a friend while we researched in Turkey, and who
helped my researches in a number of ways. Let me also express
my thanks to the staffs of the Public Record Office, the library of
the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Senate House
Library (London); and the libraries of Belediye and Beyazıt
(Istanbul). Finally, it remains for me to thank my wife without
whose active help and good humour this book would never have
been completed.
CONTENTS
PREFACE Vİİ
ABBREVIATIONS Xİ
NOTES ON TRANSCRIPTION, PLACE-NAMES, AND
DATES xiii
I. THE ANTECEDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION OF 1908 I
II. THE CONSTITUTIONAL RÉGIME AND THE COUNTER­
REVOLUTION OF 1909 14
III. (İ) THE MILITARY AND THE COMMITTEE OF UNION
AND PROGRESS 47
(İİ) THE PERIOD OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM 57
IV. THE GROWTH OF OPPOSITION 65
V. THE DECLINE, FALL, AND RESURGENCE OF THE
COMMITTEE OF UNION AND PROGRESS Ç2
VI. THE CONSOLIDATION OF POWER 121
VII. THE POLITICS OF UNION AND PROGRESS 152
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX l66
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 182
INDEX 194