Middle East and North Africa PERSIAN Chart

POLITICAL
The Ottoman empire lost power as more independent states in the world were formed and as
European power and influence grew stronger
Some of the power lost was due to the loss of territories in North Africa, the Middle East, and
India to the British, French and Russians.
Sultans lost power as well as Janissaries became self-serving and ineffective
Technological inferiority to Europe grew and helped outlying areas gain independence
Janissaries were established as military and political leaders
There were revolts in Greece and in the Balkans due to nationalism
The Balkans asked Russia for help and led Russia to invade the Ottoman Empire and sparked the
Crimean War
Ottoman rulers tried restoring their power by imposing western reforms
There were few colonies established in North Africa but the most prominent was the French
colony in Algeria and the British in Egypt
North African states remained as free states in 1850
Muhammad Ali was the most important ruler during this time in Egypt
ECONOMIC
Europe was directly trading with everyone else so the Ottomans lost their position in global
trade
The empires revenue was reduced to the high competition against European goods
Military officers owned most land
The military was exempt from taxes so there was not enough revenue to maintain a functional
government
tax farming became corrupt
The Ottomans also became reliant on European trade as their treasury was decreased
Egypts cotton industry flourished during the American Civil War since cotton production was
cut off
Lively exchange took place between Europeans and African states, such as Egypt and Ethiopia
They exchanged manufactured goods for products such as palm oil, ivory, and gold
The Egyptian cotton industry collapsed after the American Civil War ended
RELIGION
The main religion in the Ottoman empire was Islam
Many of the Christian territories were lost such as Greece and areas in the Balkans
To improve their government and become more progressive, the ottomans had to adopt
Western ideas which challenged Islamic ones
The secular changes which took place in an effort to become more advanced, were not popular
with Muslims
Egypt became the strongest Muslim state of the 19
th
century
European imperialists sent in Missionaries along with explorers and many became catholic in
North Africa
SOCIAL
The Ottoman empire was tolerant of non-Muslims in order to keep parts of the empire that
were not dominated by Islam
In 1839, a law was proclaimed in order to provide equality for all citizens in the eyes of the law
The law passed contributed to the empire becoming a nationalistic Turkish state rather than a
religious empire
North African states were all colonized by 1900 by the French, Italians, and British
Living conditions were difficult as they were living under Imperialists and Europeans were trying
to change their customs and culture
INTELLECTUAL
Ideas were borrowed from the West in order to adopt scientific and technological knowledge to
help the empire become more progressive and to be able to compete with other countries
In north Africa, Europeans didnt provide education for their colonies because it would lead to
revolts and uprisings
Various leaders in North Africa did try to lead movements for independence and inspired others
to fight for freedom

NEAR GEOGRAPHY
The ottoman empire was between Europe and the Middle East
The Anatolian Plateau was a good environment for herding and agrarian people
North Africa was rich with mineral deposits, gold, and ivory
Many rivers such as the Nile, flowed from North Africa

http://www2.newcanaan.k12.ct.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=550
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http://fcweb.acslp.org/ediller/FOV2-0007DE70/FOV2-0008102A/1750-1914-Africa-FastTrack-
1.pdf?FCItemID=S00C62B95
http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit%204/UNIT%20IV%20NOTES.htm