Political Aspects:
Sultan bloodlines and the Holy Qur'an governed the great Ottoman Empire until a group of young educated Turks known as the CUP (Committee of Progress) ran the countries affairs into an unforeseen weakened state. They felt that the Reichstag was militarily stronger than the entente powers, but unfortunately this confidence in arms lead to the defeat of the Empire.
Economic Aspects:
From a small principality the Ottoman Empire rose to the height of an economic superpower, and then back into devastation. The cause of this economic transformation was mainly due to the central positioning of the Empire. Invasions by nomadic tribes senselessly destroyed irrigation systems and depopulated cities. On top of that, a reduction in rainfall due to climate change deprived the land of nutrients necessary for crop growth. Lastly, an influx of cheap Western goods lead to a pitfall in revenue coming from Ottoman exports. By the 19th century the Empire became dependent on Europe for its survival. European economic influences shattered the empire’s ability to convert itself from an agrarian society to an industrial one. Even with measures put in place by the Public Debt Administration in 1881the government failed to recuperate financially.
Social Aspects:
A tapestry of ethnicity was represented by the Empire’s the twenty-six million citizens. For centuries “Dhimmis” or non-Muslims’ lived and worshiped in peace with their Muslim counterparts. However the rise of Turkish nationalism lead to a deterioration of that ordered social structure. The deterioration was so pervasive by the end of the 19th century, that Czar Nicholas I, of Russia, declared that the Ottoman Empire had become “The Sick Man of Europe”. During World War I the jealousies and rivalries among the different ethnic groups became the incubator for revolts.