There was a great deal of pressure and conflict surrounding the Ottoman Empire during the period from 1750 to the early 1900s. The majority of the rest of the world was going through social and technological changes. The push for expanded suffrage and industrial advancements was overwhelming. This combined with advancements in transportation and communication made the pressure even greater for the struggling empire. As the Austria and Russia began to challenge the Ottoman Empire and the predominantly independent state of Egypt in the latter part of the 17th century, the ruling elites in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt realized that they must muster strength in order to survive. The first in a series of reforms would be to bulk up the military …show more content…
The West would continue and even accelerate in their societal and technological advancements while the Ottoman Empire would struggle just to keep up.
As time and wars waged on, the Ottomans would be forced to give in to the ever- present call of social reform and independence for ethnic states. In 1816, they would have to grant Serbia local autonomy. In 1821, they would deal with a Greek revolt, which resulted in an 1830 national independence. Then in 1830, the French would begin their siege on Ottoman ruled Algeria (McKay, 2015).
A result of all of this would be the Tanzimat period, which would host a series of radical reforms. These reforms were in an attempt to remake the empire on a Western model. The reforms would call for equality among Christians, Jews and Muslims regarding law and business. Additionally, they would also call for a more modern military and greater security for property and self (McKay, 2015). Slavery was to be abolished and trade was to become open and free according to the British influence.
In and of itself, the influence of Britain over the Ottoman Empire during