The Mentality of Cameralist Production in the 18th century Ottoman Thought

Mert Can Erdoğan

Article Details

The Mentality of Cameralist Production in the 18th century Ottoman Thought

Authors:

Mert Can Erdoğan

Publisher:

Kirikkale University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı İktisat Tarihi

Journal:

Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.67-88

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340490

pISSN:

2146-2879

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study argues that Ottoman ambassadors sent to Europe in the second half of the 18th century were influenced by the cameralist production approach and pioneered the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms by presenting this approach to the Ottoman public. Cameralism is a management approach that aims to enrich and strengthen a country by using its own resources in the most efficient way. According to this approach, states should continuously develop their economic resources and aim to continuously increase their production levels. To this end, they should cultivate agricultural land in the most efficient way, operate mines to the fullest and include the entire population of the country in production. In addition, no product that can be produced within the country should be imported from abroad and the domestic manufacturing industry should operate in every field and meet all kinds of needs of the country. The memorandums written by Ottoman ambassadors in the second half of the 18th century constitute the main source of research. In these works, Ottoman ambassadors share their observations and impressions they gained at their places of duty and convey international developments to the Ottoman public. Thus, it is possible to examine how Ottoman writers developed views on the mentality of cameralist production. Our study will first examine the basic elements of the cameralist approach and reveal how this approach developed in Europe. Then, the Vienna and Berlin embassy documents of Ahmet Resmi Efendi, who played a key role in bringing this approach to the Ottoman agenda, will be examined and how cameralist ideas spread among Ottoman statesmen through these embassy documents will be examined. Then, the observations of Ottoman ambassadors sent to Berlin and Vienna during the reign of Selim III will be evaluated and thus the connections between the Ottoman Nizam-ı Cedid thought and Cameralism will be revealed.

 This study argues that Ottoman ambassadors sent to Europe in the second half of the 18th century were influenced by the cameralist production approach and pioneered the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms by presenting this approach to the Ottoman public. Cameralism is a management approach that aims to enrich and strengthen a country by using its own resources in the most efficient way. According to this approach, states should continuously develop their economic resources and aim to continuously increase their production levels. To this end, they should cultivate agricultural land in the most efficient way, operate mines to the fullest and include the entire population of the country in production. In addition, no product that can be produced within the country should be imported from abroad and the domestic manufacturing industry should operate in every field and meet all kinds of needs of the country. The memorandums written by Ottoman ambassadors in the second half of the 18th century constitute the main source of research. In these works, Ottoman ambassadors share their observations and impressions they gained at their places of duty and convey international developments to the Ottoman public. Thus, it is possible to examine how Ottoman writers developed views on the mentality of cameralist production. Our study will first examine the basic elements of the cameralist approach and reveal how this approach developed in Europe. Then, the Vienna and Berlin embassy documents of Ahmet Resmi Efendi, who played a key role in bringing this approach to the Ottoman agenda, will be examined and how cameralist ideas spread among Ottoman statesmen through these embassy documents will be examined. Then, the observations of Ottoman ambassadors sent to Berlin and Vienna during the reign of Selim III will be evaluated and thus the connections between the Ottoman Nizam-ı Cedid thought and Cameralism will be revealed.

 This study argues that Ottoman ambassadors sent to Europe in the second half of the 18th century were influenced by the cameralist production approach and pioneered the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms by presenting this approach to the Ottoman public. Cameralism is a management approach that aims to enrich and strengthen a country by using its own resources in the most efficient way. According to this approach, states should continuously develop their economic resources and aim to continuously increase their production levels. To this end, they should cultivate agricultural land in the most efficient way, operate mines to the fullest and include the entire population of the country in production. In addition, no product that can be produced within the country should be imported from abroad and the domestic manufacturing industry should operate in every field and meet all kinds of needs of the country. The memorandums written by Ottoman ambassadors in the second half of the 18th century constitute the main source of research. In these works, Ottoman ambassadors share their observations and impressions they gained at their places of duty and convey international developments to the Ottoman public. Thus, it is possible to examine how Ottoman writers developed views on the mentality of cameralist production. Our study will first examine the basic elements of the cameralist approach and reveal how this approach developed in Europe. Then, the Vienna and Berlin embassy documents of Ahmet Resmi Efendi, who played a key role in bringing this approach to the Ottoman agenda, will be examined and how cameralist ideas spread among Ottoman statesmen through these embassy documents will be examined. Then, the observations of Ottoman ambassadors sent to Berlin and Vienna during the reign of Selim III will be evaluated and thus the connections between the Ottoman Nizam-ı Cedid thought and Cameralism will be revealed.

 Bu çalışmada XVIII. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında Avrupaya gönderilen Osmanlı elçilerinin burada kameralist üretim anlayışından etkilendikleri ve bu yaklaşımı Osmanlı kamuoyuna sunarak Nizam-ı Cedid reformlarına öncülük ettikleri savunulmaktadır. Kameralizm, bir ülkenin kendi kaynaklarını en verimli şekilde kullanarak zenginleşmesini ve güçlenmesini amaçlayan yönetim anlayışıdır. Bu anlayışa göre göre devletler, iktisadi kaynaklarını sürekli geliştirmeli ve üretim seviyelerini devamlı olarak artırmayı amaçlamalıdır. Bunun için tarım arazilerini en verimli şekilde ekmeli, madenleri sonuna kadar işletmeli ve ülke nüfusunu bütünüyle üretime dâhil etmelidir. Ayrıca ülke içerisinde üretimi mümkün olan hiçbir ürün, yurt dışından ithal edilmemeli, yerli imalat sanayi her alanda faaliyet göstererek, ülkenin her türlü ihtiyacına cevap vermelidir. Osmanlı elçilerinin XVIII. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında kaleme aldıkları sefaretnameler ve layihalar araştırmanın temel kaynağını oluşturmaktadır. Bu eserlerde Osmanlı elçileri, görev yerlerinde edindikleri gözlem ve izlenimlerini paylaşmakta ve uluslararası gelişmeleri Osmanlı kamuoyuna aktarmaktadırlar. Böylece Osmanlı yazarlarının, Alman coğrafyasında egemen olan kameralist üretim anlayışına yönelik nasıl görüşler geliştirdiklerini ele almak mümkün olmaktadır. Çalışmamız öncelikle kameralist anlayışın temel unsurlarını ele alacak ve bu anlayışın Avrupada nasıl bir gelişim süreci geçirdiğini ortaya koyacaktır. Daha sonra bu anlayışın Osmanlı gündemine taşınmasında kilit rol oynayan Ahmet Resmi Efendinin Viyana ve Berlin sefaretnameleri ele alınacak ve bu sefaretnameler vasıtasıyla kameralist fikirlerin Osmanlı devlet adamları arasında nasıl yayıldığı incelenecektir. Ardından III. Selim döneminde Berlin ve Viyanaya gönderilen Osmanlı sefirlerinin gözlemleri değerlendirilecek ve böylece Osmanlı Nizam-ı Cedid düşüncesi ile Kameralizm arasındaki bağlar ortaya konacaktır.

Article Details

The Mentality of Cameralist Production in the 18th century Ottoman Thought

Authors:

Mert Can Erdoğan

Publisher:

Kirikkale University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı İktisat Tarihi

Journal:

Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.67-88

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340490

pISSN:

2146-2879

Cameralism

New Order

Ottoman Thought

18th CenturyKameralizm

Nizam-ı Cedid

Osmanlı Düşüncesi

XVIII. Yüzyıl

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Mert Can Erdoğan

Publisher: Kirikkale University

Main Topics: Osmanlı İktisat Tarihi

Journal: Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.67-88

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001340490

pISSN: 2146-2879

Issues

Authors:

Mert Can Erdoğan

Publisher:

Kirikkale University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı İktisat Tarihi

Journal:

Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.15 Issue 1, pp.67-88

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340490

pISSN:

2146-2879