Abstract:
This thes is covers the pIace of merchants and the ir world view in the transition period from Empire to Republic in Turkey. Merchants functioned as the most important link with the world economy. In that sense, merchants had a very specific position in the economy of the early Republican era. A proper understanding of the social history of this period transition requires not only the analysis of concrete realizations but also that of projects. proposals and expectations of this social stratum which were not necessarily implemented. Besides. interact ion between the state and these merchants also provide important clues to the nature of the state ideology and policies of the time.
