From Ittihad-i Osmani (The Committee of Ottoman Union) to Ittihat ve Terakki (The Committee of Union and Progress)

This study deals with the historical events which occurred following the establishment of Ittihad-i Osmani Cemiyeti (The Committee of Ottoman Union) until the time the committee was parried Ittihat ve Terakki (The Committee of Union and Progress). Ittihad-i Osmani Cemiyeti (The Committee of Ottoman Union) came into existence as a reaction to the absolute rule of Abdulhamit II and under the influence of the new developments in the West. The Committee was originally established in the Military Medical Academy, and it quickly became popular among the students of the Academy. Its members were mostly young people. The Committee was then named Terakki ve Ittihat (Progress and Union) as a result of the collaborative work of Ahmet Riza in Paris and Dr. Nazim, whom the Committee had sent to Europe. In the meantime, Osmanli Hurriyet Cemiyeti (The Ottoman Liberty Society) was founded in the Balkans by Mehmet Tahir of Bursa, Talat Bey and their friends again as a reaction to "absolute rule". The eventual name - Ittihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti (The Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress) - was adopted when The Ottoman Liberty Society centered in Salonica united with the Ottoman Committee of Progress and Union centered in Paris.

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