Consequences for the Ottoman Empire

• On 6th July, the Young Turks demanded the restoration of the 1876 constitution

  ▪ Reformists persuaded the Sultan to grant a constitution in 1876 which allowed an elective parliament, however, it was quickly dissolved
• The demanding of the restoration of the constitution caused further mutinies across Macedonia
• The Sultan yielded after the threat of a march on Constantinople
• The election in November 1908 produced a result in the favour of CUP
• The CUP, or Young Turks as they had become known as, faced severe problems when trying to form a government due to disunity
• The sultan remained Head of State and had Muslim conservatives for support
• In Constantinople on 12th April conservative Muslims led an uprising against the Young Turk government
• On 23rd April this uprising was quashed and Abdul Hamid was exiled
• Hamid’s brother, Mehmet V, succeeded him and the CUP was left in control of the government
• Within 3 years of the Young Turks revolution many of the Sultan’s repressive policies had returned as well as the secret police
• In August 1909 the Act of Associations banned any political organisation founded on the basis of ethnicity or nationalism
• The reality of the new regime fell far short of the high expectations of its inception - within 3 years, many of the repressive policies of the Sultan's rule were in force again, the secret police returned, non-Muslims faced oppression, and freedoms were restricted.
• 1908 Election Result:

  • The Young Turks faced severe problems before being able to form a government as they remained inexperienced and disunited - there was much internal disagreement on what action they should take next. 
• By the end of July 1908, the streets of Istanbul were filled with joyous citizens who expected the revolution to instigate a glorious new era for the Empire. Slogans from the French Revolution over a century earlier were adopted and proclaimed, chiefly "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity".