Constitutionalism in Iran and the Ottoman Empire; An Introduction to Mutual Influences

The book “Constitutionalism in Iran and the Ottoman Empire; An Introduction to Mutual Influences” written by Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi, utilizes archival documents and newspapers to simultaneously and intricately examine the constitutional movements in the two neighboring empires. This work attempts to provide a new narrative of this process and carefully analyzes the nature and methods of the mutual influences these two nations had on each other. Since the early nineteenth century, Iran and the Ottoman Empire, faced with the wave of global modernization, sought ways to overcome their internal weaknesses. The idea of reforms was formed as a remedy for the chronic problems of these two governments. After initial efforts such as the Tanzimat reforms in the Ottoman Empire failed to achieve desired results, the common solution among elites in both countries crystallized in the concept of constitutionalism. The longstanding neighborhood and political, cultural, and economic relations between Iranians and Ottomans led them to seriously consider each other’s experiences in this intellectual and practical endeavor. As a result, the constitutional movements in both lands experienced nearly simultaneous beginnings and ends. The author argues that historical evidence shows this mutual influence to be undeniable. The coincidence of similar events such as the establishment of Dar al-Funun, the formation of parliaments, the launch of printing presses, the publication of the first newspapers, and even the implementation of reform programs under the common name “New Order” all testify to this claim. However, the main issue addressed by the present research goes beyond proving these similarities. This book seeks to answer the question of precisely how these influences operated. Sadeghi attempts, through an in-depth analysis of historical sources, to provide precise answers to these questions: where were the centers of influence and how did they operate? What role did the movements of individuals and groups between the two countries play? How were theoretical texts and treatises transmitted, and what impact did they leave? How did officials in each country evaluate the modernist events in their neighbor country? Arranged in five chapters, this book explains in detail the formation of one of the most important transformations in the contemporary history of Iran and the Ottoman Empire.