The Ottoman Empire: Change/Time

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire OE) established itself as the most powerful Islamic empire in the world, perhaps one of the most powerful empires throughout the globe. Although it allowed opportunities for diversity, it stuck to Islamic customs and traditions and implemented them into government structure, Ottoman culture, and society overall. These Islamic inputs included jizya (tax on non-muslims)  and caliphs (religious provincial rulers).

However, as we have read and observed, the OE's reputation, government, and overall culture had drastically altered by the 19th and 20th centuries. As European nations (mainly England, Russia, and France) spread their influence across the globe, the OE soon became exposed to "western" styles of life. This exposure inevitably affected the OE, evidently. Ottoman government soon took the shape of that of British structure, centralizing government power yet distributing representation to several bureaus. Western clothing soon became known throughout the OE. Schools became increasingly secular. Most importantly, women gained access to equal rights, which clearly opposed the traditional values of Islam. These numerous modifications in Ottoman culture changed the OE's identity: what is the OE exactly? Through abolishing many of its Islamic methodologies, it destructed its own reputation as a strong Islamic nation. The OE also belonged to three continents, a geographic circumstance that made national unity almost impossible. European influence led to internal exposure within the OE. As citizens became more secular-thinking, new ideas and cultures perhaps developed within the OE, creating no sense of nationalism for the OE as a whole. This theory may explain why the OE no longer exists: numerous cases of internal nationalism essentially split the OE apart into separate states.