SHATTERED DREAMS OF REVOLUTION: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman Empire

By Bedross Der Matossian

The Ottoman revolution of 1908 is a study in contradictions—a positive manifestation of modernity intended to reinstate constitutional rule, yet ultimately a negative event that shook the fundamental structures of the empire, opening up ethnic, religious, and political conflicts. Shattered Dreams of Revolution considers this revolutionary event to tell the stories of three important groups: Arabs, Armenians, and Jews. The revolution raised these groups' expectations for new opportunities of inclusion and citizenship. But as post-revolutionary festivities ended, these euphoric feelings soon turned to pessimism and a dramatic rise in ethnic tensions. The lessons of the failed Ottoman revolution provide valuable insights into the revolutions currently occurring in the Middle East

2015 Dr. Sonia Aronian Book Prize Winner for Excellence in Armenian Studies: Monograph

Stanford University Press (2014)