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Mazza on Der Matossian, 'Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman Empire'
H-Nationalism
Feb 3 2015
Author: Bedross Der Matossian
Reviewer: Roberto Mazza
Bedross Der Matossian. Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty
to Violence in the Late Ottoman Empire. Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 2014. 264 pp. $85.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8047-9147-2; $24.95
(paper), ISBN 978-0-8047-9263-9.
Reviewed by Roberto Mazza Published on H-Nationalism (February, 2015)
Commissioned by Ari Ariel
Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late
Ottoman Empire
Shattered Dreams of Revolution by Bedross Der Matossian attempts to
challenge the existing scholarship on the Ottoman constitutional
revolution of 1908, which the author says is split into two main
trends: one which views the revolution as a factor in the decline of
interethnic relations in the empire and another which romanticizes the
revolution as a period of positive projects including modernization,
political reforms, and economic growth, abruptly ended by the outbreak
of the First World War. Der Matossian tells the story of the shattered
dreams of several ethnic groups in the empire after the constitutional
revolution: Armenians, Jews, and Arabs. The choice to use the term
"ethnic" rather than "national" group is well justified, as Der
Matossian is borrowing the concept of "ethnic boundaries" from social
anthropology, showing that despite diversity inside of these groups,
they shared strong and common bonds within their ethnic boundaries.
Based on a variety of sources, including Ottoman and Western material,
and, above all magazines and newspapers produced by the various
communities, Shattered Dreams of Revolution successfully shows the
opportunities and challenges that arose for the ethnic groups. The
work is divided into six chapters that follow the chronology of
the revolution, showing how events were experienced by the various
communities. Although Der Matossian intends to examine the Armenians,
Jews, and Arabs of the empire equally, he focuses mainly on the
Armenians, less on the Jews, and considerably less on the Arabs.
Chapter 1 is dedicated to the festivities in the provinces celebrating
the revolution. Der Matossian argues that the participation of
nondominant groups in the festivities demonstrated their loyalty to the
new regime. His analysis of space, symbolism, and language shows how
minority communities tried to prove their commitment to the revolution:
religious and secular spaces became centers of revolutionary festivals
and speeches. Loyalty to the nation became apparent through the theme
of brotherhood which was echoed throughout most of the minority press,
and in particular in the Armenian press.
Der Matossian, far from taking a romanticized view of the
postrevolutionary festivities, immediately highlights the divisions
and contradictions amongst the various groups, which become even more
evident in chapter 2 with the examination of the political discourse
and the debates surrounding key terms like "freedom" and the future of
the Ottoman state. The struggle to create an Ottoman identity based on
universal principles was evident in the press, which also struggled to
preserve the particular features of every community. It was, however,
the emerging Turkish concept of millet-i hakime (the ruling nation)
asserting the superiority of the Turkish element that cast a shadow
on the dreams of the revolution.
Chapter 3 is a micro-study of the impact of the revolution on the
ethnic groups: among the Armenians and Jews of the empire a struggle
emerged between the supporters of the ancien regime and those who
supported the revolution, but more importantly over the election
of new religious leaders that would represent the ideals of the
revolution. Interestingly, Der Matossian, while presenting the debate
over Zionism among the Jews of the empire, underlines that Zionism was
not always understood as a separatist project, nor was it accepted by
the majority of the Jews living in the empire. The analyses of the
Arab provinces is rather superficial; however, the author is right
that making generalizations about the impact of the revolution on
these provinces would be misleading. Nevertheless it is clear that
the politics of the notables was threatened by the revolution, but
ultimately was not defeated.
Chapters 4 and 5 are a solid and detailed discussion of the electoral
process in the run-up to the first competitive elections in the
Ottoman Empire. These two chapters are a great contribution to the
study of the constitutional revolution of 1908 as Der Matossian shows
how ethnic groups established electoral committees in an attempt to
unify their various political currents before the first mass political
performance in the Middle East. A number of deputies representing
the ethnic groups were elected--some were satisfied with the results,
like the Jews and the Arabs; less satisfied were the Armenians. The
election sanctioned the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) as the
real winner of this political competition. At the same time, it was
becoming apparent that the CUP and ethnic groups could not agree on
a number of issues, including religious institutions and above all
education. The dilemma afflicting these groups was to display loyalty
while at the same time protecting the interests of their groups.
According to Der Matossian, before the counterrevolution of 1909 the
Armenians were very active in parliament, particularly in the debates
over the restriction of public gatherings, which they understood as
a potential restriction of their political activity.
The last chapter is dedicated to the counterrevolution of 1909 and
its suppression. Der Matossian suggests that the counterrevolution
was a complex event that was not just the expression of religious
fanaticism, but a multi-actor, multivocal event that eventually led
to the demise of the dreams of the revolution. Since the constitution
represented a chance for the ethnic groups to become relevant actors
in the political process, the counterrevolution was a major blow;
however, Der Matossian stresses that the response of the ethnic groups
was not homogenous. Members of the various groups participated in
the suppression of the counterrevolution, although their actions were
less decisive than the military operations undertaken by the CUP. Der
Matossian, in this final chapter, takes some time to discuss the
Adana Massacres of 1909, suggesting that by then the dreams of the
revolution were already shattered; ethnic tensions were on the rise
and becoming violent. After the counterrevolution, the CUP restricted
the liberties gained by the ethnic groups in the constitutional
revolution: the preservation of the empire took precedence over the
values of the constitution. Der Matossian is right to say that the
dreams of the revolution were shattered, not only by the CUP after the
counterrevolution, but by the contradictory dynamics of the revolution
itself, and nationalism--seen as an epidemic by many--was not contained
by the constitution.
Shattered Dreams of Revolution is a compelling work on the Ottoman
revolution of 1908 and its shortcomings. Though Der Matossian focuses
more on the Armenians than the other ethnic groups--the Jews and the
Arabs--this work must be commended for presenting a fresh picture
of the revolution as a key event that needs to be more fully studied
for its repercussions on the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. This is
a work that cannot be ignored by those studying late Ottoman history
and in particular how nationalism impacted the empire's subjects. It's
a pity there is no bibliography at the end.
Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=43300
Citation: Roberto Mazza. Review of Der Matossian, Bedross, Shattered
Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman
Empire. H-Nationalism, H-Net Reviews. February, 2015.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=43300
https://networks.h-net.org/node/3911/reviews/60124/mazza-der-matossian-shattered-dreams-revolution-liberty-violence-late
From: Baghdasarian
H-Nationalism
Feb 3 2015
Author: Bedross Der Matossian
Reviewer: Roberto Mazza
Bedross Der Matossian. Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty
to Violence in the Late Ottoman Empire. Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 2014. 264 pp. $85.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8047-9147-2; $24.95
(paper), ISBN 978-0-8047-9263-9.
Reviewed by Roberto Mazza Published on H-Nationalism (February, 2015)
Commissioned by Ari Ariel
Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late
Ottoman Empire
Shattered Dreams of Revolution by Bedross Der Matossian attempts to
challenge the existing scholarship on the Ottoman constitutional
revolution of 1908, which the author says is split into two main
trends: one which views the revolution as a factor in the decline of
interethnic relations in the empire and another which romanticizes the
revolution as a period of positive projects including modernization,
political reforms, and economic growth, abruptly ended by the outbreak
of the First World War. Der Matossian tells the story of the shattered
dreams of several ethnic groups in the empire after the constitutional
revolution: Armenians, Jews, and Arabs. The choice to use the term
"ethnic" rather than "national" group is well justified, as Der
Matossian is borrowing the concept of "ethnic boundaries" from social
anthropology, showing that despite diversity inside of these groups,
they shared strong and common bonds within their ethnic boundaries.
Based on a variety of sources, including Ottoman and Western material,
and, above all magazines and newspapers produced by the various
communities, Shattered Dreams of Revolution successfully shows the
opportunities and challenges that arose for the ethnic groups. The
work is divided into six chapters that follow the chronology of
the revolution, showing how events were experienced by the various
communities. Although Der Matossian intends to examine the Armenians,
Jews, and Arabs of the empire equally, he focuses mainly on the
Armenians, less on the Jews, and considerably less on the Arabs.
Chapter 1 is dedicated to the festivities in the provinces celebrating
the revolution. Der Matossian argues that the participation of
nondominant groups in the festivities demonstrated their loyalty to the
new regime. His analysis of space, symbolism, and language shows how
minority communities tried to prove their commitment to the revolution:
religious and secular spaces became centers of revolutionary festivals
and speeches. Loyalty to the nation became apparent through the theme
of brotherhood which was echoed throughout most of the minority press,
and in particular in the Armenian press.
Der Matossian, far from taking a romanticized view of the
postrevolutionary festivities, immediately highlights the divisions
and contradictions amongst the various groups, which become even more
evident in chapter 2 with the examination of the political discourse
and the debates surrounding key terms like "freedom" and the future of
the Ottoman state. The struggle to create an Ottoman identity based on
universal principles was evident in the press, which also struggled to
preserve the particular features of every community. It was, however,
the emerging Turkish concept of millet-i hakime (the ruling nation)
asserting the superiority of the Turkish element that cast a shadow
on the dreams of the revolution.
Chapter 3 is a micro-study of the impact of the revolution on the
ethnic groups: among the Armenians and Jews of the empire a struggle
emerged between the supporters of the ancien regime and those who
supported the revolution, but more importantly over the election
of new religious leaders that would represent the ideals of the
revolution. Interestingly, Der Matossian, while presenting the debate
over Zionism among the Jews of the empire, underlines that Zionism was
not always understood as a separatist project, nor was it accepted by
the majority of the Jews living in the empire. The analyses of the
Arab provinces is rather superficial; however, the author is right
that making generalizations about the impact of the revolution on
these provinces would be misleading. Nevertheless it is clear that
the politics of the notables was threatened by the revolution, but
ultimately was not defeated.
Chapters 4 and 5 are a solid and detailed discussion of the electoral
process in the run-up to the first competitive elections in the
Ottoman Empire. These two chapters are a great contribution to the
study of the constitutional revolution of 1908 as Der Matossian shows
how ethnic groups established electoral committees in an attempt to
unify their various political currents before the first mass political
performance in the Middle East. A number of deputies representing
the ethnic groups were elected--some were satisfied with the results,
like the Jews and the Arabs; less satisfied were the Armenians. The
election sanctioned the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) as the
real winner of this political competition. At the same time, it was
becoming apparent that the CUP and ethnic groups could not agree on
a number of issues, including religious institutions and above all
education. The dilemma afflicting these groups was to display loyalty
while at the same time protecting the interests of their groups.
According to Der Matossian, before the counterrevolution of 1909 the
Armenians were very active in parliament, particularly in the debates
over the restriction of public gatherings, which they understood as
a potential restriction of their political activity.
The last chapter is dedicated to the counterrevolution of 1909 and
its suppression. Der Matossian suggests that the counterrevolution
was a complex event that was not just the expression of religious
fanaticism, but a multi-actor, multivocal event that eventually led
to the demise of the dreams of the revolution. Since the constitution
represented a chance for the ethnic groups to become relevant actors
in the political process, the counterrevolution was a major blow;
however, Der Matossian stresses that the response of the ethnic groups
was not homogenous. Members of the various groups participated in
the suppression of the counterrevolution, although their actions were
less decisive than the military operations undertaken by the CUP. Der
Matossian, in this final chapter, takes some time to discuss the
Adana Massacres of 1909, suggesting that by then the dreams of the
revolution were already shattered; ethnic tensions were on the rise
and becoming violent. After the counterrevolution, the CUP restricted
the liberties gained by the ethnic groups in the constitutional
revolution: the preservation of the empire took precedence over the
values of the constitution. Der Matossian is right to say that the
dreams of the revolution were shattered, not only by the CUP after the
counterrevolution, but by the contradictory dynamics of the revolution
itself, and nationalism--seen as an epidemic by many--was not contained
by the constitution.
Shattered Dreams of Revolution is a compelling work on the Ottoman
revolution of 1908 and its shortcomings. Though Der Matossian focuses
more on the Armenians than the other ethnic groups--the Jews and the
Arabs--this work must be commended for presenting a fresh picture
of the revolution as a key event that needs to be more fully studied
for its repercussions on the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. This is
a work that cannot be ignored by those studying late Ottoman history
and in particular how nationalism impacted the empire's subjects. It's
a pity there is no bibliography at the end.
Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=43300
Citation: Roberto Mazza. Review of Der Matossian, Bedross, Shattered
Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman
Empire. H-Nationalism, H-Net Reviews. February, 2015.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=43300
https://networks.h-net.org/node/3911/reviews/60124/mazza-der-matossian-shattered-dreams-revolution-liberty-violence-late
From: Baghdasarian