The revolution of 1908 and the working class in Turkey

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the emergence and escalation class antagonism between Young Turksand the working class in Turkey in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1908. Focusing on thecase of the Socialist Workers̕ Federation of Thessalonica, the thesis demonstrates how the class antagonism affected the policies of socialists, whereas the attitude of the Union andProgress towards the workers movement is also analyzed. Starting with the description of thedevelopment and impact of the workers̕ actions in the Ottoman Empire in 19th and early 20thcenturies, the thesis continues with an introductory chapter on the Federation. Using these background information, the thesis studies how the antagonism between the elites of the newregime and the working class developed, paying attention both to the positioning of workersand the elites. In order to demonstrate that the class antagonism led the socialists as politicalrepresentatives of workers to adopt distinct attitudes on political issues, the thesis focuses on the adoption of the idea of Balkan Federation by the socialists in Thessalonica in response tothe national question and war threat. Finally the thesis uses the theory of uneven developmentto explain the rapidly developing class antagonism in Turkey.