Deck 8: The Era of the Young Turks and the Iranian Constitutionalists

Question 1

The Young Turks and the 1905-1911 Iranian upheaval were two protest movements that are similar in what way?

A) Both were lead by their respective religious establishments
B) Both movements were Islamic in nature
C) Both were in favor of a constitutional government
D) Both movements were Islamic in nature and in favor of a constitutional government

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What did the Young Turks-particularly the active Ottoman exile community that partly composed its ranks-believe a constitution would accomplish?

A) It would curb royal autocracy
B) It would preserve the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire
C) It would restore the principle of Ottomanism
D) All of these answers are correct

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The public debate over the political and cultural loyalties of the Ottoman subjects focused on two matters: (1) achieving the proper mix between European and indigenous ideas and institutions, and (2) _________________________.

A) the measure of intellectual freedom afforded to all citizens
B) the issue of national identity
C) territorial expansion
D) the measure of European intervention in regional neighbors

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Despite its oppressive nature as a military dictatorship, the Ottoman Empire's first years under the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) were marked by:

A) Intellectual freedom unparalleled in Ottoman history
B) A resurgence of the periodical press
C) The expansion of the primary and secondary educational system
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 5

Arabism within the Ottoman Empire joined political protest with cultural affirmation in calling for the appointment of Arabs to administrative offices, greater political autonomy for Arab provinces, and ________________.

A) the centralization of Ottoman power
B) complete recognition and support of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) regime
C) recognition of Arabic as an official language
D) the rejection of the Ottoman state

Question 6

Which group was NOT part of the Iranian coalition in favor of a constitution?

A) the Qajars
B) European-oriented reformers
C) Bazaar merchants
D) The ulama

Question 7

Which is NOT true of the group of reformers dedicated to bringing a constitution to Iran in the early 1900s?

A) They were united in their opposition to royal corruption and foreign exploitation
B) They believed a constitutional government would produce a strong and progressive Iranian nation
C) Their ranks were composed largely of local merchants
D) They desired the establishment of secular laws

Question 8

Which part of the Iranian coalition envisioned secular laws and a strong legislative assembly as the result of their constitutional revolution?

A) the bazaaris
B) the ulama
C) the European-inspired reformers
D) None of these is correct.

Question 9

Which of the following was NOT true of the foreign occupation of Iran as a result of the Triple Entente agreements in 1907?

A) The British occupied southern Iran
B) The Russians occupied Tehran
C) The Russians occupied northern Iran
D) The Iranian government accepted Russian demands

Question 10

What larger objective did the Iranian constitutional revolution and the Young Turk revolt both have in common?

A) the spread of Pan-Islamism
B) the establishment of European-model government institutions
C) the preservation of the state from internal collapse and external aggression
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

Which of the following groups was NOT involved in the movement that became known as the "Young Turks"?

A) An exile community located primarily in Paris and Geneva that had grown during Sultan Abdul Hamid II's reign
B) A group of discontented civil servants and students who viewed Hamidian repression as an impediment to necessary reforms
C) Disaffected army officers stationed in Ottoman Europe
D) Members of the ulama who resented Sultan Abdul Hamid II's focus on sectarian governance

Question 12

Which of the following most accurately describes the D'Arcy Concession?

A) A concession granting a British subject oil rights for the entire country except five northern provinces
B) A concession granting a British subject rights to almost all aspects of tobacco production in Iran
C) A concession granting French merchants to import and export goods from Iran at low tariff rates
D) A concession granting French merchants to freely trade in Iranian ports and be exempted from Iranian taxes

Question 13

Which of the following reforms was NOT undertaken by the CUP during the first phase of the Young Turk period (1909-1913)?

A) The expansion of the primary and secondary educational systems
B) The abolishment of the millet system
C) A reassertion of strict censorship laws
D) A restructuring of the bloated bureaucracy and a reduction of the number of personnel on state payroll

Question 14

When the first Iranian assembly (Majlis) met in October 1906 it passed the Fundamental Law. Which of the following was stipulated in the Fundamental Law?

A) The law stated that Sunni Islam would be the official state religion
B) The law reduced the powers of the monarch, giving the elected legislature greater authority
C) The law reduced the power of the ulama in the political sphere
D) All of these points were stipulated

Question 15

Which of the following does NOT accurately represent the ideas of Ziya Gökalp?

A) Gökalp believed that Turkish national traditions had become submerged under the practices of the peoples over whom the Turks ruled
B) Gökalp believed that language was the essence of nationality and he thus disdained the hybrid Ottoman language in favor of a Turkish vernacular that he claimed to be reflective of Turkish soul
C) Gökalp believed that a reassertion of authentic Turkish culture required casting off the shackles of Islam and reverting to a pre-Islamic Turkish past
D) All of these accurately represent his ideas

Question 16

Which of the following does NOT describe the significance of Ottomanism in the early twentieth century?

A) Despite all the unrest from religious, cultural, and nationalist movements, variants of Ottomanism remained popular among the majority of Ottomans
B) Commitment to Ottomanism posed a major problem for the CUP: it called for a de-emphasis of religious differences, which undermined the Islamic basis on which the Ottoman Empire had long been legitimized
C) It provided the foundations for Turkism
D) It came to increasingly be challenged by European nationalist independence movements

Question 17

Which of the following best explains pan-Turkism and Turkism?

A) These are essentially the same-both are cultural movements based on unity of Turks
B) Only Pan-Turkism emphasized the unifying significance of language
C) Turkism emphasized pre-Islamic, pre-Ottoman cultural heritage that distinguished the Turks from the other inhabitants of the empire.
D) Unlike Turkism, Pan-Turkism took on an important religious element

Question 18

Which of the following is often regarded as a foundation for Arab nationalism?

A) The Arab Paris Congress of 1913
B) The CUP
C) Pan-Turkism
D) the Majlis

Question 19

What similarities were there between the D'Arcy concession and the Tobacco Protest of 1891?

A) In both cases, the respective shahs ended the policies contributing to unrest
B) Both took on a religious framework, as ulama responded by labeling the policies un-Islamic
C) Both involved the issue of the sale of tobacco, long deemed un-Islamic
D) Both involved French economic intervention in Iran

Question 20

Which of the following did NOT occur in the aftermath of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution?

A) Disagreements between the ulamas and bazaaris and the reformers about the relationship between the religious establishment and the state, which would remain unresolved until 1979
B) Tribal unrest resulting from the fractured central state
C) British and Russian intervention
D) A coalition of conservative ulama and bazaaris overturned the constitution because it was deemed too accommodating to foreign interests

Question 21

The Young Turks seized power in the Ottoman Empire in 1909, but subsequently lost power in 1913.

Question 22

The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) leadership was committed to the concept of Pan-Islamism.

Question 23

Turkism stressed the Turkish contribution to the success of the Ottoman Empire.

Question 24

In Iran, the years from 1905 to 1911 were known as the period of the constitutional revolution.

Question 25

The Iranian government's policy of opening Iran to foreign economic activities in the early 1900s was economically beneficial to local bazaaris.

Question 26

In the early 1900s, Japan became a source of envy and inspiration to many reformists in the Middle East. Its emergence as a modern nation and military power showed what was possible if __________________ dominance was resisted.

Question 27

The __________________ joined Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in a mutual defense pact that lasted until World War I. Russia and Britain agreed to reduce their competition for influence in Iran.

Question 28

Instrumental in both the Turkish cultural movement and Arab cultural movement was the facet of __________________ as a unifying bond among their respective groups.

Question 29

The ulama, reformers, and __________________ began the first phase of the constitutional revolution with a large protest in Tehran in 1905.

Question 30

The Fundamental Law and Supplementary Fundamental Laws were two __________________ provisions that completely restructured the allocation of political authority in Iran.

Question 31

What factors led Ottoman leaders to reemphasize military reform and strengthen economic, diplomatic, and military ties with Germany in the early 1900s?

Question 32

Describe the factors and events that led to sultan Abdul Hamid, on July 24, 1908, to declare the constitution in effect.

Question 33

Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) member Ziya Gokälp believed language was the essence of nationality. Examine his reasoning.

Question 34

What reasons did the "coalition" of those joined in the constitutional Iranian movement have in desiring to limit the shah's authority?

Question 35

The constitutional protest movements in Iran and the Ottoman Empire were very different, despite harboring similar goals. What was a common issue or problem within both movements?

Question 36

Why did the formation of the Triple Entente provoke concern within the Ottoman Empire? How did the Ottoman leadership respond?

Question 37

What three groups came together to form the Iranian constitutional movement? Outline their respective motivations.

Question 38

Briefly describe the CUP's policies for dealing with Arab-speaking provinces of the Ottoman Empire.

Question 39

The new Turkish cultural movement was defined by two main, often overlapping currents. Identify and briefly explain these two currents.

Question 40

How did Japan serve as a source of inspiration for reform-minded activists in the Middle East?

Question 41

How committed were most Ottoman Arabs to the preservation of the Empire when World War I broke out in 1914?

Question 42

Compare and contrast the constitutional revolution (195-1911) in Iran with the Young Turk revolt of 1908.