少数民族与晚期奥斯曼帝国的社会变革

Ethnic Minorities and Social Reforms in the Late Ottaman Empire

奥斯曼帝国境内的希腊人、亚美尼亚人、犹太人在帝国经济领域起主导作用,支持并推动了奥斯曼帝国的改革;而这些少数民族的民族意识增强并掀起民族主义运动,形成了脱离奥斯曼帝国的力量。从另一个角度看,奥斯曼帝国的西化改革有利于少数民族工商业的发展,少数民族工商业者、银行家、资本家构成帝国重要的社会基础;但奥斯曼帝国社会变革时期的政治衰败,少数民族自身利益得不到保护,政治地位没有提高反而降低。这造成少数民族群体与土耳其统治阶层的对立,帝国的社会基础松动,庞大的多民族共同体瓦解。民族因素是晚期奥斯曼帝国社会变动中一个突出的独立因素;少数民族与帝国的社会变革是一种双向互动的关系。

While the ethnic Greeks, Armenians and Jews played a dominant role in theeconomy and pushed forward social reforms in the Ottaman Empire, they constituted a separatist force with the strengthening of national awareness and the emergence of national movement. On the other hand, although the West-oriented reforms facilitated the development of ethnic minorities＇ndustry and business and generated large numbers of ethnic businessmen, bankers and capitalists, who formed an important social base of the Empire, the interests of ethnic minorities and their political status couldn＇t be protected due to the political corruption in the social reform period. All of these led to the conflict between ethnic minorities and the Turkish ruling groups, the collapse of the social base, and the final breakup of the multi-ethnic community. As an outstanding and independent factor in the social transformation period of the late Ottaman Empire, ethnic minorities interacted with social reforms in a double-way.