Reading the Gulhane Proclamation has made me realize that the Ottoman Empire was a living, breathing entity, effecting and affected by many people. Because it was lead by a Sultan, I kind of assumed that he was the only one who had any real say in matters. This document proves, however, that the Sultan had to work to find ways to keep his people happy and supportive. We learned that it was in the Sultan's best interest to keep his soldiers content, because without their support he would have no way of enforcing laws or expanding the empire. The documents suggest that rule in the Ottoman Empire was based not on the despotic whims of a single leader, but instead upon public opinion and set laws.

I think it is probably important to note the dates in which the two proclamations were issued. It is interesting that they were not enacted at the same time; there was actually a gap of almost twenty years between the two. Both documents, although related, are very different. The first talks about reforms that the Empire plans to undertake in order to modernize their entire political system. The second is more narrow and concerns only citizens. It grants equal rights to all people living within the Empire. The dates come into play because they both indicate times in which the Ottoman Empire faced strong military pressure and had to make changes in order to maintain power. As the Ottomans slowly began losing territory to European powers, they were forced to first modernize their government, and then later ensure that everyone living in the Empire was given a fair chance to participate in that government.