The structural order of the Ottoman Empire is one of the most important factors in the delay of the idea of Turkish nationalism. The Ottoman State aimed to keep the Ottoman spirit alive by eliminating nationality discrimination and establishing a “nation system” according to the beliefs or religious principles of the communities under its sovereignty. It is seen that there was no official language or racial distinction among Muslims living within the borders of the Ottoman State. For this reason, the concept of “Turk” as used in modern language until the end of the nineteenth century was foreign to the Ottoman elites who saw themselves as Ottomans, not Turks. We can say that Turkism was fermented in Europe before it flourished in Ottoman lands. The studies on Turkology that emerged in Europe began with the studies of Russian, German, English and French scientists. Many scientists have demonstrated in their studies that the Turks were a very old nation and that they spread over a wide area and that they created world-class states and high civilizations in various periods. In addition, scientific and technical developments in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, and the nationalism and freedom discourses brought by the French Revolution had a negative impact on the multi-national, multi-religious and multi-lingual Ottoman Empire. The intellectuals of the period, who wanted the Ottoman Empire to regain its former power, clustered around the ideological movements of Ottomanism, Islamism, Westernism and Turkism. The first three of these ideological movements; the blood incompatibility in their discourse and practices, united a segment of the Tanzimat intellectuals around the idea of Turkism.
Ottoman, Ottoman Society, Ottoman Nation System, Turk, Turkish Nationalism