Exploring the Effects of the West on The Ottoman Empire...

In the course of approximately four hundred years, Western European colonists and prominent historical figures were particularly known for exploiting and devastating distant cultures and civilizations around the world. This included groups ranging from the Aboriginals and the Aztecs in the remote â€Å"New World†, to groups in East Asia such as the Chinese and the Mughals. However, historians today debate whether or not these prevailing and prospering Western European nations were as successful at influencing the cultures of nearer empires such as the Ottoman Empire. It is questionable as to whether or not the Ottoman Empire should be compared to other cultures devastated through their interactions with the West, largely due to the Ottomans’†¦show more content†¦The Ottomans became involved in major alliances, particularly with France and other Protestant nations, in which they cooperated together to contest the Habsburg powers. However, as time progressed, the Ottoman Empire was generally unable to keep up with the Western European nations’ advancements and growing supremacy. Beginning in the mid sixteenth century and into the seventeenth century, the Western superpowers gradually began to economically surpass the Ottomans, causing many internal problems for the empire. The Ottomans had economically flourished over the span of many years due to revenue generated through the taxation of trade routes. They greatly profited as a result of European traders passing through Ottoman trade routes to access the spice and silk trade in Eastern Asia (Hooker). However, as the European superpowers expanded their frontiers, they began to discover and utilize new trade routes, successfully avoiding the Ottoman levy (Chambers). As the Europeans entered into the Industrial Revolution period, the Ottomans retained its antiquated labour practices, continuing to use foot-operated treadle reels and silk-twisting machines (Hooker). Cheap European manuf actured goods began to flow into the Ottoman Empire, which had a devastating effect on local Ottoman handicraft merchants and industries (Smitha). This also contributed to the Ottomans` diminished exports. As the Ottomans continued to purchase numerous goods from European nations,Show MoreRelatedWhy Did The Muslim World?1162 Words   |  5 PagesNetherlands started exploring for new lands and colonizing them. Driven for power, trade, or expansion, many European powers colonized the New World. Yet when looking at the Muslim contemporaries, the Ottoman, Persian and Mughal Empires did not set sail for new land like their Western counterparts. 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