Administration of Adana and Erzurum Regiê in the Ottoman Empire (1883-1925)

Dealing with external debts and their repayment was one of the most significant agenda items in the Ottoman Empire. From 1883 until the collapse of the empire, a company had a say in every step of this product, from the field to the final consumer. The Regiê Company, which had this privilege, institutionalized itself in the country's center and established its organization in the provinces. This study focuses on the Adana Regiê Administration and the Erzurum Regiê Administration, examining the effects of the multinational capital-based Regiê Company on the political, economic, and social conditions in Adana and Erzurum Vilayets. The study aims to identify the issues faced by the company in its dealings with producers, consumers, traders, and manufacturers due to its practices in the region. Additionally, it focuses on the significance of the company, which held a monopoly privilege in the tobacco sector for 42 years, in the Ottoman Empire in general and the economies of Adana and Erzurum in particular. Furthermore, any developments related to tobacco within the regions under the responsibility of the Adana Regiê Administration and the Erzurum Regiê Administration are included in the scope of this study. Within this framework, the introduction section briefly provides information about the histories and administrative divisions of Adana and Erzurum Vilayets. The main sections of the study discuss the emergence of tobacco on the historical stage in the Ottoman Empire and its development until it came under the control of the Regiê Company. Subsequently, the organizational structure and staffing of the company in both vilayets, the company's control and practices regarding tobacco in the region, and the developments within the anti-smuggling organization established to prevent smuggling in response to these practices are evaluated. All of this has been attempted to be brought to light by primarily referring to primary sources. The primary source material for the study consists of documents, yearbooks, regulations, and laws obtained from the Presidency State Archives. In addition to primary sources, numerous secondary sources have contributed to this study. Consequently, the study yields various findings. Some of these include the significant position of the company in describing the tobacco economy in Adana and Erzurum, which were important vilayets of the late Ottoman Empire, as well as the creation of a vast organizational structure with a large staff in both vilayets. Furthermore, it reveals that numerous smuggling activities took place in both vilayets due to the product and its monopolistic privilege, which led to judicial processes.