Il tramonto dell’Impero ottomano: trasformazioni, conflitti e (mancate) conseguenze

Abstract

The decline of the Ottoman Empire: transformations, conflicts, and (unrealized) consequences – The fall of Empires has represented a central element in philosophical, historical, and literary thought, evoking reflections on the glorious destiny of great powers but also, and perhaps above all, on their fragilities .The interest in this topic is not surprising, considering that Empires, for a long time in the history of civilization, represented the most widespread system of domination. However, starting from the 19th century, imperial entities suffered the pressure of political, social, and economic transformations that led to the rise of nation-states. The Ottoman Empire, the subject of this study, represents an emblematic case of this dynamic. To investigate the consequences of the decline of the Empire, this work aims to briefly reconstruct its history and then analyze the events that led to political and institutional transformations in the Middle East, to the birth of the Republic of Turkey, and the legal and humanitarian consequences that these new arrangements had on minorities.

Keywords: Ottoman Empire; Millet System; Ethnic minorities; Ottoman Caliphate; Republic of Turkey