Ottoman Empire Dbq

In the 16th century, the Mesopotamia had served as an intermediate for trade between Europe, Africa, and Asia. It was also an important supplier on food goods on foreign trade, especially silk and cotton. Other than the Ottoman Empire who had control over it, they also had there competitive rivals, the Persian Safavids who also had control over it. The Persians Muslim faith clashed with the Ottoman’s devotion to Sunnism. Both groups had fought economically for the control over the western trade routes to the East. The Ottomans had captured Europe’s largest city, Constantinople, in May 1453. After it was captured, the Ottoman’s had renamed it Istanbul, as it became the city capital of The Ottoman Empire.
By the mid- sixteenth century the Ottomans had control over the sea trade on the Eastern Mediterranean, such as Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and the rest of North Africa, as their power had extended into Europe as well. The Ottoman Empire had continued to expand, and this had really frightened the Europeans. The strength of the Ottomans had led to new missionary commitments that the Christians had brought to new territories. Since the Ottomans had the

trade routes from the East, this had led the Europeans to find new trade routes.
The Ottoman Empire were considered outsiders in Europe’s eyes. They believed that the Ottoman sultans were very cruel and tyrannical dictators. Despite the stereotypes, The Ottoman Empire were in many ways much more tolerant compared to its western counterparts. They provided protection and security to other religions while maintaining the Muslim faith throughout there empire. The Ottoman State combined the Byzantine heritage of the territory that it had conquered and mixed it with the Persian and Arab traditions.
In the mid 16th century, the Ottomans had moved on and took over all of central Asia. They came out as conquering and strong warriors as they ruled one of the most powerful empires in the world. There empire had stretched from Mesopotamia, such as Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, to western Persia across North Africa and into central Europe.
The Ottoman Empire controlled the Mesopotamia in a unique model of state and society. The agricultural land in the Mesopotamia was personal property for the sultan, and the peasants would have to pay taxes to use the land. The most talented Ottoman slaves rose to the top of the bureaucracy, as they acquired wealth and power. The less fortunate had formed the core of the sultan’s army, and they became very prestigious that the sultan had demanded the recruitment by force.
The Ottomans employed a distinctive form of government administration in the Mesopotamia. The top ranks of the bureaucracy were staffed by the sultan’s slave corps. The sultan’s agents would purchase the slaves along the borders of empire, since the law prohibited Muslims in enslaving other Muslims. The sultan had levied a tax of three thousand children to be raised and trained to fight and administer. The Ottomans divided their subjects into religious communities, as it was self governed under it’s religious leaders. Throughout the Mesopotamia, there was diversity between many religions such as orthodox Christians, Armenian Christians, and Muslims. They had a system that had created a powerful bond between all religions and class, who had to support the sultan’s rule in return for widespread authority over their religious communities. The system had collected taxes, structured group behavior, and helped maintain law courts, schools, houses of worship, and hospitals for its people.
In 1516, The Ottoman Empire had taken over Palestine under ruler Sultan Bayezid ll. The local governors who were appointed by the Ottoman collected revenues, which went to the city of Constantinople. When the Ottoman Empire had took over Palestine they had promoted many important public works. For example, they had rebuilt the beautiful walls of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Arab population had played a huge role in the political reforms as they were seeking to modernize the Ottoman Empire.
In the 19th century, The Ottoman Empire had begun to evolve and the political reforms resulted in a constitution and a new parliament. Though The Ottoman Empire was also very unstable, in the 19th century. Even though the empire was controlled by the Turks, there were also many different minority territories in the empire. This had included a large number of Balkan Christians, Armenians, and Arabs. Palestine had remained under the Ottoman Empire till World War l, as the Ottomans had entered the war and were on the Central Powers side.
In October 1914, The Ottoman Empire had entered the war on the side of Austria and Germany, known as the Central Powers.

The entry of the Ottoman Turks had carry the war into the middle east. The British had joined the Arabs and had gathered together to revolt against the Turkish rulers. After this unification between the two, they were able to take over and split the Ottoman area. They at first occupied the southern city of Iraqi named Basara in 1914 and then took over Baghdad in 1917. They then invaded Palestine and Syria in 1918. After The Ottoman Empire had been defeated, the thought of a rise for Arab independence was brought to attention. Though the allies had instead rejected that decision and instead replaced the Ottoman rule with British and French control. This had officially broken up The Ottoman

Empire.
The Ottoman Empire had been broken up between the British and the French, as the split up the Mesopotamia. France had agreed to take over Lebanon and Syria, and southern Turkey. Britain had agreed to receive Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq.
British plans on there planned decisions with Palestine had angered many Arabs. The Britain had favored a “National home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. This had set up a majority rule to the Jewish people, even though they made up a total of 11% percent, and the rest consisted of an Arab community. The only country that had received independence was Saudia Arabia. In response, many Arab nationalists came together for the Syrian congress in 1919 and called for a political conference. They had demanded for the independence of Syria and Iraq. The French had then reacted negatively as they went into Syria, and took over, as the Arab government had fled. The British had then took over Iraq and had full control. The Ottoman Empire had been fully replaced, especially all throughout the Mesopotamia and the Arab Middle East. The allies had then took over control of Turkey, as the French and the British had full control.