The Roots of the Decline of the Ottoman Economyfrom the Perspective of the Young Ottomans’ Newspapersof Tanzimat Era

The “Young Ottomans” were the first modernist thinkers and critics in Tanzimat era who sought to recognize the Ottomans Empire decline and used newspaper to express their thoughts and ideas. This paper examines and analyzes the causes of the decline of the Ottoman economy in Tanzimat era from the perspective of the Young Ottomans’ newspapers. The findings of the research show that the Young Ottomans considered the wrong policies of the statesmen of the Tanzimat era as the main reason for the decline of the Ottoman economy in this period and they demonstrated the manifestations of such policies in the context of foreign loans, tax system, trade agreements with western countries, railway development plan and implementation of western laws.