The Ottoman Parliament's activities (1914-1918)

This thesis is a study on Turkish Parliamentary History focusing on the Chamber of Deputies (Turkish: Meclis-i Mebusan) founded in 1914. The Chamber of Deputies of 1914 marks the third phase of the Second Constitutional Era (İkinci Meşrutiyet Dönemi). It reflects the parliamentary nature of this political period during which the Committee of Union and Progress (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti) exerts total control over the country. The Committee of Union and Progress made numerous legal arrangements regulating particularly military, juridical, and economic matters during the period which is characterized by the Chamber of Deputies of 1914, and which coincides with the First World War. Among the changes brought about by the Chamber of Deputies, the arrangements made on the Ottoman Constitution of 1876 (Turkish: Kanun-i Esasi), the laws regulating military, juridical, and secularistic issues take the center stage. As for the efforts in economics, the capitulations were abolished, the Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Turkish: Teşvik-i Sanayi Kanunu) was introduced and other new regulations were issued to relieve the financial problems created by the war. This thesis aims to analyze the actions taken by the Chamber of Deputies between 1914 and 1918, the legal structure of this chamber, and the distribution of deputies as regards to each legislative session. Furthermore, the issues the country was facing were evaluated from the specific viewpoint of the Chamber with an effort to shed light upon the deputies' participation in legislative activities and their relations with the government. Keywords: Chamber of Deputies of 1914, Committee of Union and Progress, First World War, Turkish Parliamentary History, The Ottoman Constitution of 1876