As you will have seen from the video above, two royal decrees were important for showing the new direction of the empire: the Hatt-i Sharif of Gülhane (1839) and the Hatt-i Hümayan (1856). The first was a promise of administrative reform aimed at the elimination of corruption, the standardisation of military conscription and abolition of tax farming. More importantly, and quite remarkably,  it applied to all Ottoman subjects despite religion. This was further emphasised in the decree of 1856 where the equality of all subjects was guaranteed. This meant that both Muslims and non-Muslim subjects were subject to military conscription, state employment, and admission to state schools.

The two decrees aimed to secure the loyalty of the states' Christian subject and create a sense of unity within the Ottoman subjects; thus keeping the Ottoman Empire in one piece at a time of nationalist agitation in the European provinces. They also sought to break down the growing  autonomy of the millets and create a common Ottoman citizenship or Ottomanism.

The attempt to replace religious affiliations with secular identity continued with the Nationality law of 1869. This law reinforced that all individuals within the Ottoman Empire shared a common citizenship regardless of religion.

As Cleveland and Bunton write, 'Together with the Nationality Law, the two decrees sharply broke with customary ottoman attitudes and show the extent to which the reformers were prepared to go in order to keep the state together. To preserve the Ottoman Empire, they introduced the concept of the secular organization of society, which would have the long-term effect of undermining the entire basis of the Ottoman system.' (pg 78)

The desire to Europeanise the Empire led  some members of the new Ottoman elite to conclude that Europe's success rested not just with its technical achievements but also with its political organisations. This elite group also believed that constitutional government would provide a check on autocracy and thus give them a better opportunity to influence policy.

Such beliefs gained credence when, following the death of Ali Pasha, Sultan Abdul Aziz reasserted royal authority. The disaster of his rule led to his deposition in 1876 and the establishment of a consitution.

The new Sultan Abdul Hamid II accepted his title on the condition that he would uphold this new constitution.

Nevertheless, important Tanzimat style reforms did take place in the first decade of Abdul Hamid's reign particularly in the areas of education and of transportation.

• 51 new secondary schools were created between 1882 and 1894, mainly in Asian provinces. The curriculum, employed European teaching techinques and included modern sciences; however it also taught the priniples of Islamic morality, Ottoman identiy and loyalty to the sultan. The schools were highly centralised and monitored by state agents.
• the University of Istanbul was opened in 1900  - more evidence of advances in modern education
• there was a rapid dvelopment of the empire's transportation systems e.g. Istanbul was linked to Vienna by rail in 1883 and the Orient Express started its service from Paris. In 1908 the Hijaz railway was built connecting Damascaus and Medina. This was also a symbol of pride for the Muslim community as it was funded entirely through the donations from Muslims and not through European loans.
• An extensive telegraph network was established

However, Abdul Hamid was able to use the vastly expanded powers of the central government, along with the improved communications, to enforce his autocracy. The press was tightly censored, schools scrutinised, and public discussion of politics was forbidden. This system was backed up by government spies and informants and aided by the new telegraph system. Many loyal Ottoman officals and intellecturals were arrested and imporsoned. Others moved to other countries to escape arrest from where they tried to forment opposition against the Sultan. 

Opposition also grew in educational institutes, despite Abdul Hamid's efforts to control them. In 1889 a group of medical students came together at the military medical school in Istanbul to found a secret society in opposition to the sultan. The Ottoman Union Society wanted to restore the constitution and form a new parliament. They hoped to depose the sultan and replace him with one of his brothers, either the previous Sultan Murad V or his younger brother, Mehmet Reshad (1844- 1918). The sultan soon found out about the plot and sent his police to arrest the conspirators, but some escaped  abroad to Paris. There, they met with the influential Ottoman émigré Ahmed Riza (1859–1930). Riza had left the Ottoman Empire for Paris in 1889 and founded a small group of reformers there. He called his group the Committee of Union and  Progress (CUP). The Istanbul exiles  joined with Riza’s group, and they started to formulate ideas for change. People began to call them the Young Turks.

The ruthless suppression of national separatist movements also took place. As will be discussed in the next section, the harsh measures against the Armenian communities provide just one example of the brutal Ottoman suppression of nationalist movements in the 1890’s.