comparison esssay
Both the Ottoman Empire and Qing China faced internal challenges that were far more threatening than the external challenges presented by the expansion of Europe. In the Middle Eastern empires and Qing China, problems of internal political decline were emphasized by the danger of Western intrusion. It appeared that China would recover fully under the Manchus and that the forces of Western merchants could be contained at the ports. Qing China appeared as safely dominant in East Asia as ever. In contrast, the Ottoman Empire seemed on the verge of collapse in the 18th century. Internal independence movements, European encroachments, and political disarray at Constantinople seemed to be indication of imminent disaster. By the beginning of the 19th century, the picture had changed. European military intervention in China exposed the Qing dynasty as weak to external assault. Internal disruptions swept away the imperial system of China, leaving little in its place. Foreign forces competed for dominance in the remains of the Qing Empire. The Ottoman Empire recovered from its 18th-century depression. Although much of the Middle East was lost, Turkish reformers overthrew the sultanate, but quickly reformulated a new government. The Ottoman Empire had been built on war and steady territorial expansion. As the effectiveness of the administrative system began to decline it began to show the growth of corruption among the Ottoman officials. When the empire reached its limits of expansion, that’s when the land began to be lost to the Christian and Muslim enemies. They had internal revolts and periodic conflicts. The army began to shrink with the decline and they became less powerful. As the reforms produced a Western-educated elite, a group of military officers seized the government, restored the constitution, and promised additional reforms. The sultan was reduced to a powerless religious figurehead. The officers who ran the government proved no more