The Ottomans and Their Lasting Effect

The Ottoman Empire was one of the most fascinating of all of the World Empires. At its peak, it covered southeast Europe (the Balkins), Eygpt, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. It frequently gets overshadowed by the extensive Imperialistic empires of Spain, England, and the French, but was nonetheless able to last more than 600 years. To be even more frank at the height of its power, everyone just avoided the trade routes by land and sought overseas routes to access Africa and Asia.

One might ask how this was able to be accomplished. I point to a reasonable order of sucession, power commerically, and the nationalism of the people in the region. Allow me to explain; the sucession was determined very simply during this time. If you were the oldest male son of the Sultan, you were the one who was entitled to the throne. From an early age you were bred to be a leader, learning the political fabric that encompassed the dead annals of the palace, and understanding the importance of delegation. Commerically, all land trade routes to Africa and Asia led through the Ottoman Empire. Often times you could travel more than 5,000 miles and still be in Ottoman territory. Have so many travellers in their lands, allowed for merchants to set up shop along the routes and conduct lucrative business dealings, which in turn always is great in terms of boosting the economic flow within the empire.

The other part i mention is the nationalism of the people in the region as a binding point in making the empire as strong as it was. This nationalism came from their religious beliefs, most notably their belief in Allah and Islam. There is always a mutual respect that is there from the beginning if one has the same religious beliefs and with many swearing their undying alligence to one particular God, it has all the makings for a Theocracy in which religious law is the basis for all operation and infrastructure. This would also end up being the downfall of many of their political ideologies, for as the world around them ushered in revolutionary ideas and looked towards the future, many Ottoman leaders chose to stand pat and allow for things to stay as is. Finally when the world was thrust into a global battle (World War I) the Ottomans were so far behind technologically that they were just completely wiped out.