The Ottoman Empire's Rise to Power

The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 1500s. While other empires were experiencing their downfalls, the Ottoman Empire’s power seemed to be increasing. In fact, this empire can be ranked as the strongest power due to its tactical internal organization of power, minorities, and religion, due to its physical expansion which provided more resources, more advancements, and more people to support the empire, and due to its large military strength that provided security, reduced rebellion, and challenged the other powers.
The Ottoman Empire can be classified as the strongest power in 1500 because of its strategic approach to the allocation of power, the acceptance of minorities, and the use of religion to unite the empire. The way power is divided within a country is very important. If the population has no control, they will feel the need to rebel, and if power is divided too greatly, the problem of rivalry and internal wars occur. The Ottoman Empire was able allocate powers in a way that both diverted the need for rebellion, as well as in a way that united the empire. Uniting power is an important aspect that helps a country remain stable; Europe, for example, was constantly experiencing instability due to the conflicts in power: monarchs were persistently threatening one another, and there was a disconnect in religious leaders (such as having three popes at one time, each with their own opinions and beliefs). The Ottoman Empire, however, did not experience such instability, as power was more successfully divided within the empire: it was always given to a single person in order to avoid rivalries. In fact, a single family ruled for seven centuries without any conflict. (BBC) As well, the millet system un...

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...iority in military strength (it had the largest military, succeeded in the most seizures such as that of Constantinople, and the monopoly of trade), and superiority in stability and unity (a successful establishment and administration discouraged uprising and conflict). Every power must, at some point fall; that is history’s most repeated lesson. There is no evidence yet of a nation that did not fall victim to changing times; even North American capitalism is experiencing such alteration because of the rise of Chinese potential. The true measure of success, however, is what comes out of this downfall: what is learnt from it, and what is done to re-unit the power once again.

Works Cited

Kennedy, Paul M. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. New York, NY: Random House, 1987. Print.
"Ottoman Empire (1301-1922)." BBC News. BBC, 04 Sept. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.