The Ottoman Empire before and after the Constitution

The Ottoman Empire Before and After the Constitution reveals a pivotal phase in the history of the Ottoman Empire, when advocates of freedom and equality rose to demand a constitution that guaranteed rights and limited the absolute power of the Sultan. Author Suleiman Al-Bustani traces the details of Sultan Abdul Hamid II's proclamation of the Ottoman Constitution in 1877 and the great hopes it aroused among the people, before it was suspended just one year later, ushering in a period of political repression that lasted three decades. He then sheds light on the "great coup" led by the Union and Progress Party, which restored constitutional life to the state, linking this Ottoman experience to the waves of liberation that swept across Europe after the French Revolution. Using an analytical approach that combines historical narrative and political critique, the book traces the development of constitutional life and military and societal organizations in the Ottoman Empire, revealing the struggle between despotism and reform, and the spark that ignited the people's dreams of freedom and openness.

سليمان البستاني (1856–1925م) سياسي وأديب لبناني. تولى منصب وزير في الدولة العثمانية. ترجم «الإلياذة» إلى العربية بأسلوب شعري رفيع. ويُعد من كبار رواد النهضة الأدبية.