Page 625 - Mastermind: The Truth of the British Deep State Revealed

Adnan Harun Yahya

The Treaty of Balta Liman of 1838 removed all the restrictions on do-

mestic and foreign trade, and facilitated the entry of foreign merchandise in-
to the country. It also made it easier to export domestic products. Ostensi-

bly, it brought the Ottoman industry and trade under European control, but
in fact, it was under British control.

The most significant aspect of this trade system was the irrevocable and
significant loss of Ottoman sovereignty over its own foreign trade. Additional

taxes previously levied on export and import, which had been a main source
of revenue for the state, were restricted, and the Ottoman Empire was no

longer able to collect additional taxes from these sources in extraordinary sit-
uations such as war. 425

In the aftermath of the Treaty of Balta Liman, the British trade volume

in the Middle East increased dramatically. For instance, in 1837 only 432
British vessels had come to Istanbul and unloaded merchandise of 86,253

tons, but by 1848, these numbers increased to 1392 vessels and 358,422 tons
respectively. The increase quickly sped up and in 1856, Britain sent 2,504

vessels with a total 898,753 tons of merchandise. Britain was getting com-
426
plete control of the Ottoman market, while Ottoman merchants lost strength.

The Ottoman Attempts to Abolish the Capitulations

The great powers of Europe were competing fiercely to get more out of
the failing Ottoman Empire. As the capitulations incapacitated the Ottomans,

the state wasn't even able to regulate its own taxes. The Turks were levied,

but foreign merchants were exempt from taxes. Foreigners who lived on
Turkish land weren't subjected to Turkish law, and couldn't be taken to Turk-
ish courts. In other words, these people were living in a completely isolated

manner in the country; in an incredibly privileged status, they were practic-

ing their own laws in the Ottoman Empire. They made more money out of
the same trade as the local merchants did but still didn't pay tax. Even the
health-care sector offered extraordinary concessions to them.

Capitulations turned into a bleeding wound for the Ottomans, and nat-
urally many Ottoman administrators undertook initiatives to stop the bleed-

ing.