Geç Dönem Osmanli Toplumunda Köylünün Sosyo-Ekonomik Durumu: Yönetilen Zümre Olarak Kendi Ifadelerine Göre Usak Köylüsü /The Socio-Economic Situation of the Peasentry in the Late-Ottoman Society: The Peasentry in Usak Province as the Ruled Class in Their Own Narration

• Published in: Cumhuriyet tarihi arastirmalari Dergisi Vol. 11; no. 21; p. 59
• Main Author: Çakmak, Biray
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Turkish
• Published: Ankara Hacettepe University, Ataturk Institute for Modern Turkish History 01.04.2015
• Subjects: Disasters; Farming; Peasants; Provinces; Taxes; Ottoman Empire
• ISSN: 1305-1458; 2147-1592

The narrations of the witnesses of a historical event have of crucial importance for research in the field of history. The fact that those witnesses do not have such a historiographical concern made this more significant. The objective value of those narrations is undoubted. Witnesses' own observations make the research fruitful and tasteful both for the writer as well as the reader. Under such a circumstance the historian initially accepts himself/herself as the catalyst. He/She sees this as a chance to let the witnesses narrate instead of him/herself in search of the truth. Thus, this study aims to introduce the situation of peasentry around the Usak province deriving from their own experience directly in their own narration. Relying on the archival documents from various categories of the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives, the study draws attention to the natural and humane factors that affected their situation and makes an emphasis on the negative factors. It concludes that factors such as natural disasters and farming taxes (iltizam) deteriorated the socio-economic situation of peasentry in spite of the developing regional and international trade in the light of those narrations.