The Ottoman Turks: An Introductory History to 1923

by Justin A. McCarthy

Justin McCarthy's introductory survey traces the whole history of the Ottoman Turks from their obscure beginnings in central Asia, through the establishment and rise of the Ottoman Empire to its collapse after World War One under the pressures of nationalism. Vividly illustrated with many maps, this introductory overview is designed for non-specialists but is written with great authority and with access to original sources. It fills an important gap for an authoritative but accessible account of the rise of one of the world's great civilizations.

Genres: History

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

American demographer, professor of history.

His area of expertise is the history of the late Ottoman Empire.

McCarthy has attracted most attention for his views on the Armenian Genocide, occurring during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Most genocide scholars label these massacres as genocide, but McCarthy views them as part of a civil war, triggered by World War I, in which equally large numbers of Armenians and non-Armenians died.

Reviews

[Matt Shelter]

A very interesting guide through the life one of the great empires of history.

From the Empire's humble beginnings in the late 1200s, its world shattering capture of Constantinople in 1453*, its zenith under Suleiman the Magnificent, its centuries-long decline thereafter, and finally its fall after World War One (!) - such a captivating story.

Anyone with even the vaguest interest in the history of empire building will get a lot from this book.

*thereby ending the Eastern Roman Empire after its own long decline.

[Teresa]

Once you get through the first three chapters, this book gets easier to read. The hardest part was figuring out the complicated social system that was put into place.

[Vionwinnie]

he's the man on Ottoman history though sometimes he cannot include the finer differences in historiographical debate.