Ottoman Government: Autocracy and Innovation of Taxation The government of the Ottomans was autocratic and was therefore run by an autocrat with supreme power. The autocrat in the Ottoman empire was called the Sultan; such position was hereditary. Despite their nomadic backgrounds, the Ottomans eventually developed in to an empire that relied on big government (Aksan). The characteristics of the Ottoman government resembled those of a government with a large legislature and like the United States or the United Kingdom; however, they were in fact ruled almost entirely by the sultan. One Sultan named Suleiman the Magnificent, was known as the lawgiver and was an active member of the legislature. One of Suleiman’s most notable achievements in government was his system of taxation. “The structure of the system made it possible for the Ottomans to economize on the transaction cost of measuring the tax base. Regional variations resulted from both efficient adaptations and institutional rigidities� (Cosgel 2). It was the regulation and registration of taxation that allowed the Ottoman empire to gain tax revenue on a level like no one had seen before. The Ottomans also were one of the first empires to imply transaction cost taxes on a large scale and also to imply income taxes on a large scale. These two methods are commonly used by the United States and were principle values of the Founding Fathers to establish equality in taxation and to maximize revenue in taxation.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Bibliography ✤
Works Cited/Consulted: ✤
AKSAN, VIRGINIA H. "Sultan." Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. Vol. 5. New York: Charles
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Cosgel, Metin M., "Efficiency and Continuity in Public Finance: The Ottoman System of Taxation" (2004). Economics Working Papers. Paper 20040
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"Founding Fathers: Were the Founding Fathers Guided by Modern Liberalism in their Efforts to Establish a Framework of Government?" History in Dispute. Ed. Keith Krawczynski. Vol. 12: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 118-126. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
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Picture URLS
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/eb/TheTurkishEmperorSuleiman.jpg/220px-TheTurkishEmperorSuleiman.jpg
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http://www.paradoxplace.com/Insights/Topkapi/Ottoman_Images/Ottoman%20Empire%201300-1683.jpg
Tuesday, April 10, 2012