MEHMET SADIK RIFAT PASHA and THE INTRODUCTION of CAMERALISM to 19TH CENTURY OTTOMAN EMPIRE within the SCOPE of WESTERNISATION

Year 2010, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 171 - 196, 01.12.2010

Çiğdem Erdem

Abstract

“Mehmet Sadık Rıfat Pasha and the Introduction of Cameralism to 19th
Century Ottoman Empire within the scope of Westernisation” titled study focuses on
“cameralist” ideas mentioned in pamphlets by Sadık Rıfat Pasha who served as an
ambassador in Austrian Empire capital Vienna between 1837-1839. Ideas
advocated recommended to the Sultan to apply similar policies in Ottoman Land by
the Pasha in his pamphlets are very important for Ottoman history. This is because
these ideas mentioned by with the Tanzimat Reform Era, Pasha's successors and
students actualised some of Pasha's intellectual ideas. Therefore, it is important to
examine Sadık Rıfat Pasha's ideas which, in essence, emphasise the realisation of
Westernisation in Ottoman Empire through cameralist policies.
First of all it should be noted that Sadık Rıfat Pasha was not a scientist or a
philosopher, he was a statesman. Pasha has never presented his ideas recommended
in his pamphlets for Ottoman Empire under “cameralism” title. In his time, the
greatest political problem of Ottoman Empire was the disintegration among the
society. In other words, main problematic for Pasha was to end the schism the
multinational Ottoman Empire was faced with and to ensure the political union in
Ottoman land. On the other hand, Pasha recognised the fact that in order to ensure
said political union, economic measures had to be taken as well as political
measures. Seeing that Austria overcame similar problems with cameralist policies
Pasha, as a statesman, pointed out direct practices and and the successful results of
these practices rather than dealing with the theory of cameralism.
There are remarkable similarities between political and economic
infrastructures and problems of 19th century Austria and Ottoman Empire. Due to
his personal relationship with Austrian President Metternich after whom an era is
named, Sadık Rıfat Pasha had the opportunity to listen to the cameralist system
practised in Austria from the head of the country himself. In general cameralism is a
kind of merchantilism and aims for increasing the efficiency and productivity of the
country, and predicts a restriction in imports and increase in exports as much as
possible. Education is another important issue for cameralism in respect to
generating quality, productive people in society. And in order for achieving these
targets, political union must be obtained and people's trusting political authority
must be ensured.
According to the Pasha's observations, Austria has opened this road by
implementing constitutional state principle. With the justice and equality established
through a constitutional state, discontents of the society have been eliminated. Also
related to the constitutional state principle, security of life and property for the
subjects have led the way to commerce for the subjects. By promoting exports and
restricting imports, national production in Austria has been increased and methods
that will turn the economy upside down such as borrowing have been avoided.
Considering the Austrian example, the Pasha insisted on the need for Ottoman
Empire to be a constitutional state. He suggested to the Sultan that by adopting the
constitutional state principle, safety of life and property for the subjects would be
achieved, the discontents of people in Ottoman land would be eliminated and
insurgences in the multinational empire would be suppressed. On economical terms,
as in the Austrian example, he advocated increasing efficiency, restricting imports,
promoting exports, restraining spending on luxury, and not tampering with the value
of money. In the Pasha's writings, these economical measures have been shown both
as a phase to set up the infrastructure for political unity, and as a tool to stop
economic collapse. Sharing cameralism's emphasis on education, the Pasha
frequently mentioned carrying the educational levels of both subjects and the rulers
beyond literacy. Briefly, putting the Pasha's ideas together we see a statesman who
wishes for the implementation of cameralist policies.
Cameralist ideas of the Pasha have been realised with the practices of his
successors and students. The Rescript of Gülhane initiating the Tanzimat Reform
Era is a script predicting the constitutional state principle, ensuring the subjects'
safety of life and property. Especially through end of the Era, there have been some
reforms on education which is an issue frequently mentioned by the Pasha. In this
regard, particularly in terms of politics, Tanzimat Reform Era coincides
substantially with cameralist policies.
However, it should also be noted that the economic measures suggested by the
Pasha fall outside general terms of economic policy adopted during Tanzimat
Reform Era. Practices to support cameralist economic policy remain limited in this
period. None the less, it can be concluded that ideas mentioned by the Pasha in his
pamphlets comply with cameralist policy and especially political aspect and, to
some degree, economical aspect of these ideas have been actualised in Tanzimat
Reform Era

Keywords

Mehmet Sadık Rıfat Pasha, Tanzimat Reform Era, Cameralism, Austrian Empire, Westernisation.

MEHMET SADIK RIFAT PAŞA VE 19. YÜZYIL OSMANLI İMPARATORLUĞU’NA BATILILAŞMA BAĞLAMINDA KAMERALÎZMÎN GİRİŞİ

Abstract

“Mehmet Sadık Rıfat Paşa ve 19. Yüzyıl Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ’na Batılılaşma Bağlamında Kameralizmin Girişi" başlıklı bu çalışma, 1837-1839 yılları arasında, Avusturya İmparatorluğu ’nun başkenti Viyana ’da sefirlik görevi yapmış olan Mehmet Sadık Rıfat Paşa ’nın, risalelerinde dile getirdiği, “kameralist" görüşler üzerine odaklanmıştır. Paşa ’nın risalelerinde savunduğu ve Osmanlı Sultanı’na, Osmanlı topraklarında da benzer politikaların uygulanmasını salık verdiği görüşler, Osmanlı tarihi açısından oldukça önemlidir. Çünkü Paşa’nın dile getirdiği bu görüşler, kısa bir süre sonra ilan edilecek olan Tanzimat Fermanı’nın ana temalarıyla, genel anlamda bir paralellik içerisindedir. Paşa ’nın ardılları, öğrencileri, Paşa ’nın fikirsel düzlemdeki görüşlerinin bir kısmını, Tanzimat Dönemi ile birlikte hayata aktarmışlardır.Paşa risalelerinde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ’nda da uygulanmasını salık verdiği fikirleri, hiçbir zaman “kameralizm " başlığı altında sunmamıştır. Paşa ’nın yaşadığı dönemde, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ’nun siyasi anlamda en büyük sorunu, toplumda yaşanan ayrışmalardır. Paşa ’nın temel sorunsalı, çok uluslu Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ’nun sürüklendiği parçalanmayı sona erdirip, Osmanlı toprakları üzerinde siyasi birliği sağlayabilmektir. Öte yandan Paşa, söz konusu siyasi birliğin sağlanması için, siyasi tedbirlerin yanı sıra ekonomik tedbirlerin hızla alınması gerektiğinin de bilincindedir. Avusturya’nın da benzer sorunlar yaşadığını ve bu sorunları, kameralist politikalarla aştığını gören Paşa, bir devlet adamı kimliğiyle, kameralizmin teorisiyle uğraşmaktan ziyade, doğrudan uygulamalarına ve uygulamaların başarılı sonuçlarına dikkat çekmek istemiştir.

Keywords

Mehmet Sadık Rıfat Paşa, Kameralizm, Avusturya İmparatorluğu, Tanzimat Dönemi, Batılılaşma.