Gunboat diplomacy of the great powers towards the Ottoman Empire (Example of the period of Abdulhamid II)

Gunboat diplomacy is one of the methods used by the Great Powers as a coercive diplomacy method in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. England was both the leader and the state that implemented it the most in the 19th century. It is seen that England, which applies gunboat diplomacy in many parts of the world, often achieves successful results in this diplomacy. Like England, America frequently used gunboat diplomacy, especially after the second half of the 19th century, and achieved successful results. In fact, gunboat diplomacy is a method used by states with strong navies to protect their interests and increase their influence. Thus, the Great Powers often managed to gain commercial privileges without firing a single bullet. The Ottoman Empire, which was always a target at the beginning of the 19th century, was also subjected to gunboat diplomacy from time to time. In this process, the Ottoman Empire tried to benefit from the disagreements between the Great Powers. The Great Powers, who were in conflict of interest on Ottoman lands, occasionally practiced gunboat diplomacy against each other, which prevented the states from acting freely. When it comes to the reign of Abdulhamid II, it is seen that gunboat diplomacy was directed more towards the Ottoman Empire. Especially the Armenian reform issue is an important issue that stands out in this field. At various times, the Great Powers implemented gunboat diplomacy against the Ottoman Empire, using the reforms to be made to the Armenians as an excuse. Apart from this, the Great Powers also resorted to gunboat diplomacy during the turmoil in the Balkans. The events, which were actually an internal Ottoman issue, became an external problem due to the intervention of the Great Powers. Abdulhamid II, who was constantly exposed to gunboat diplomacy, tried to be cautious by following a policy of restraining the states. Thus Abdulhamid II struggled to eliminate the trouble that gunboat diplomacy would bring. The aim of the study is to understand gunboat diplomacy, an area that has not been studied in depth, and to see how successful or unsuccessful it can be. Due to the importance of the subject, the Presidency State Archives Ottoman Archives, British Archives, US Archive documents, official and periodical publications, and local and foreign research works were used during the writing process. As a result of the information obtained, it can be said that; Gunboat diplomacy, which is directly proportional to naval power, enabled major powers to increase their influence and gain commercial privileges without much effort. As a matter of fact, gunboat diplomacy generally yields successful results in every period.