How to make the Ottoman Empire/Turkey do better? I haven't seen all that many buffed (increased in power) Turkey or Ottoman Empire timelines. How could the sick man of Europe recover faster?
Turk Buffs
- Thread starter sampleswift
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Maybe earlier industrialization as well? Maybe that's one reason why they were so weak?
Win against Timur, save yourself from the Fetret Period and hope that the butterflies result in a Sultan that heavily invests in the assimilation of the Balkans.
It's very difficult "Turkifying" minorities when the Turks by and large were illiterate. As I've said before, most learned men in the Empire that weren't in the clergy or military were Greeks or Armenians. Better (non-religious) education standards for ethnic Turks would probably lead to greater acculturation and conversion among minorities. This would also make the Empire more prosperous overall. This would require an Ataturk figure 100-200 years early. As I understand it, there were a few Sultans in history who could have been great reformers, but they all got assassinated or deposed.
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The majority of Turkish industry/economy was in the Balkans. Certainly there could be a way to develop Anatolia earlier as there is coal there along with plenty of other resources.
Transportation would be a good one too so communication within the empire is easier. Again, this involves lots of roads and railroads in Anatolia and the Middle East. It's limited what the government could do given the expense of carving through the Anatolian mountains but they could do more than OTL and earlier too. This of course makes developing more mines and factories there easier. The military value is obvious too, and I point to the Battle of Sarikamish for an example (don't want to lose most of your forces to attrition within your own territory after all).
Transportation would be a good one too so communication within the empire is easier. Again, this involves lots of roads and railroads in Anatolia and the Middle East. It's limited what the government could do given the expense of carving through the Anatolian mountains but they could do more than OTL and earlier too. This of course makes developing more mines and factories there easier. The military value is obvious too, and I point to the Battle of Sarikamish for an example (don't want to lose most of your forces to attrition within your own territory after all).
Marc
Donor
Quite so, a new, fresh, dynasty or a better political infrastructure at the top would have helped them immensely. But, they were fundamentally incapable of making those kind of deep changes.
Still, all in all, they did have a good long run as an imperial state.
Maybe make sure it is the Karaman Beylik that wins the struggle for Anatolian supremacy instead? The importance they put on the Turkish language of the time as the court language instead of the Iranian-Arabic-Turkish mash-up used by the Ottomans might just lead to a greater literacy rates among the populace, which was mentioned to be the greatest hindrance blocking the way of assimilation.
My bet would be on federalism. True federalism that is, not satrapies, the Roman model, or any other half measures of the ancient world. Have them invent it. ...Somehow. It really doesn't mesh with the culture of a conquering empire, and especially not an Islamic one descended ultimately from steppe nomads.
The best bet, I guess, would be if they successfully parlayed the Caliphate into an enduring (Sunni) Muslim theocratic federation that tightened control over West Africa and expanded into other Sunni lands, integrating them in the long term through religion.
Wouldn't be that useful in the Balkans and Western Caucasus, or parts beyond, but if they somehow united all Sunni majority territories (to say nothing of creating more such territories), they'd make the British - and Mongols - at their greatest extent look like utter pikers.
The best bet, I guess, would be if they successfully parlayed the Caliphate into an enduring (Sunni) Muslim theocratic federation that tightened control over West Africa and expanded into other Sunni lands, integrating them in the long term through religion.
Wouldn't be that useful in the Balkans and Western Caucasus, or parts beyond, but if they somehow united all Sunni majority territories (to say nothing of creating more such territories), they'd make the British - and Mongols - at their greatest extent look like utter pikers.
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