The diffusion and the implementation of the of the idea of Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Anatolia: Konya ve Kastamonu provinces (1897-1912)

This dissertation aims to understand and narrate the journey of Young Turk intellectualism and the experience of the Second Constitutional Era in Anatolia through the cases of Konya and Kastamonu. Its central argument is that the exiled ulema and military/civilian bureaucrats constituted the backbone of Young Turk activism in the imperial provinces. The study also tries to take the propaganda activities of the Committee of Union and Progress in both provinces as a reflection of the effective role these actors played in the process of transition to the Second Constitutional Era. Therefore, the tactics and actors through which the Young Turk ideology circulated in these two provinces constitute one of the main focuses of this work, mainly through the utilization of publications and other printed texts published in Konya and Kastamonu between 1908 and 1912. Another issue addressed in this dissertation is to understand the reasons for the two different experiences of constitutionalism in Konya and Kastamonu during this period, which was one of the turning points of Ottoman/Republican political modernization. The emergence of a severe conflict between the holders of power and the opposition in Konya and in Kastamonu, a strong hegemony of the party in power are parts of the discussion together with other developments revolving around these issues. The close relationship of Second Constitutional Era politics to religion, the importance of madrasah and tekke circles in local politics, and the impact of the military or civilian character of Young Turk ideology in the provinces on politics, and the role of provincial deputies between local and central politics as well as between the local actors and central actors are among the issues this thesis undertakes to answer.