This volume, short and rich in primary source material, focuses on the relationship
between the Ottoman central government (Istanbul) and the empire’s
various nationalities during the fateful 1908-18 period. Istanbul’s struggle to
address enormous political and military challenges, European involvement,
and the rise of nationalism and ethnic/religious resentments are duly covered.
The book is well organized with a dedicated section for each nationality. Except
for the Greek and Armenian struggles through WWI, which is covered
in a single chapter, each nation’s history is covered in two periods: 1908-14
and 1914-18 (except the Albanians). Ahmad impartially re-constructs these
nationalities’ history in order to detail all aspects of the challenges that they
faced and posed to Ottoman governance.
American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences