The revolution in Turkey against the theocratic government began when “ a group of Turkish army officers organized the Young Turks, a secret society set on change. In 1907, the Young Turks joined the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ” (Kohler 78) which was led by Ahmet Cemal, Ismail Enver, and Mehmet Talat. The CUP's goals were to get rid of the Sultan and establish a constitution.
However, once the actual revolution began it was an event that had been unforeseen by the Young Turks. It began in 1908 when young Officer Bey was being suspected of being a spy and traitor against the monarchy and was ordered to appear before the sultan. Knowing that it would be suicidal to follow these orders Bey fled from the city, followed by other members of the organization. Together they were able to gather a large amount of weapons, men, and supplies. While the Sultan did attempt to suppress the Young Turks, by July 21 Hamid II agreed to abdicate after a threatening message from the militia and the desertion of some imperial soldiers who left to join the rebels. The government formed a constitution and “in 1909 they replaced the sultan with his brother as a puppet” (Wallace) while the CUP gained control of the country. |