Turkish Administrative History
Course Overview
Turkish Administrative History examines the formation and transformation of political and administrative institutions in Turkey in their historical contexts. It treats the administrative traditions of Turkish states as the outcome of interactions among Iranian, Byzantine, and Islamic traditions, institutions in the Mediterranean and pre-Ottoman Anatolia, and changing historical conditions. The course considers the Ottoman land system and central-provincial administration, post-classical transformations, the Tanzimat and modernization, constitutional government, and the transition to the Republic. Students analyze administrative institutions in context and assess continuity and change in Turkey’s structures of government.
Key Themes
Iran Byzance Islam Mediterranean Governmental Traditions The Ottoman Land System Ottoman Central and Provincial Administration Classical Period The Tanzimat Modernization Constitutional Government The Republic Continuity and Change
Learning Objectives
- Explain the influence of Iranian, Byzantine, and Islamic traditions on administrative structures in Turkey.
- Assess the historical development and principal institutions of Turkish state traditions.
- Analyze the Ottoman system of government, center-province relations, and bureaucratic structure in historical context.
- Discuss continuity and change in Turkey’s administrative institutions using historical examples.
Course Structure
I
Introduction — How do Turkish administrative history and the administrative history of Turkey differ?
II
The Iranian Administrative Tradition — How did the Iranian tradition shape Turkish approaches to government and its institutions?
III
The Byzantine Administrative Tradition — How did practices inherited from the Byzantine tradition shape administrative structures in Anatolia?
IV
The Islamic Administrative Tradition — How did the Islamic tradition shape state legitimacy and the legal system?
V
Administrative Structures in the Mediterranean — How did different political and administrative structures shape the Mediterranean region?
VI
Administrative Structures in Pre-Ottoman Anatolia — Which institutions and practices did pre-Ottoman Anatolian administrations pass on to the Ottomans?
VII
The Ottoman Land System — How was the Ottoman land system connected to state finance and control over the provinces?
VIII
Ottoman Central and Provincial Administration — How did center-province relations organize authority and administrative control in the Ottoman Empire?
IX
Post-Classical Administrative and Political Structures — Did the Ottoman Empire decline?
X
The Tanzimat and Modernization — How did Ottoman government and bureaucracy modernize?
XI
Constitutional Government — How did constitutional government change the exercise and limits of political power?
XII
Toward the Republic — How did late Ottoman political and administrative transformations prepare the transition to the Republic?
XIII
The Republic and Its Institutions — According to which principles were administrative institutions reorganized in the Republican period?