Was The Middle East Really In Decline In The 18th Century
Was the Middle East really in decline in the eighteenth century, like the "paradigm of decline" claims it? And if this is the case, what did actually decline and what happened to other aspects of society and the economy? I will first discuss the two approaches regarding the "paradigm of decline" and their critics, and I will then explain why the Middle East was indeed in decline before the modern era.
To begin with, the "paradigm of decline" is composed of two different approaches. First the meta-narrative, which focuses on the story of the state, perceives Islamic history as characterized by constant rises and declines, with the apogee being always lower and lower. This theory is simplistic since it focuses only on one aspect of history …show more content…
This happened for several reasons. The sixteenth century's commercial revolution in Europe played a great role. Technological innovations, for example in navigation, allowed for the discovery of new lands, the exploitation of which led to an enormous increase of capital. Also, as a result of improvements in military technology, a shift in the military balance occurred and moved away from the Ottomans, in favor of the Europeans.
The shift in military advance helps explain in part another element of decline, that is the important military defeats and the loss of territories the Ottomans suffered during the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and which contrasted with the large successes they had experienced in the last three centuries. Also, the wars of the early modern period, leading to high level of casualties and to the loss of territories, were in part responsible for the decrease of the Ottoman population from the late sixteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth century, an additional element constituting a proof of …show more content…
Imports of cheap goods raised the variety of products available and thus fostered a desire, by the peasants particularly, to increase their consumption of goods. Cultivators worked harder in order to buy more, leading to an increase in agricultural production and a flow of money in the rural areas. The Tulip Period (1718-1730) thus characterized an era of increasing consumption and of "urban phenomenon" , and witnessed a rapid growth of its port
To begin with, the "paradigm of decline" is composed of two different approaches. First the meta-narrative, which focuses on the story of the state, perceives Islamic history as characterized by constant rises and declines, with the apogee being always lower and lower. This theory is simplistic since it focuses only on one aspect of history …show more content…
This happened for several reasons. The sixteenth century's commercial revolution in Europe played a great role. Technological innovations, for example in navigation, allowed for the discovery of new lands, the exploitation of which led to an enormous increase of capital. Also, as a result of improvements in military technology, a shift in the military balance occurred and moved away from the Ottomans, in favor of the Europeans.
The shift in military advance helps explain in part another element of decline, that is the important military defeats and the loss of territories the Ottomans suffered during the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and which contrasted with the large successes they had experienced in the last three centuries. Also, the wars of the early modern period, leading to high level of casualties and to the loss of territories, were in part responsible for the decrease of the Ottoman population from the late sixteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth century, an additional element constituting a proof of …show more content…
Imports of cheap goods raised the variety of products available and thus fostered a desire, by the peasants particularly, to increase their consumption of goods. Cultivators worked harder in order to buy more, leading to an increase in agricultural production and a flow of money in the rural areas. The Tulip Period (1718-1730) thus characterized an era of increasing consumption and of "urban phenomenon" , and witnessed a rapid growth of its port