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The economic system that prevailed in the Empire in 1800 had transformed little since the fifteenth century. The antiquated economy could not compete with the European nations that were being transformed by the industrial revolution. <ref>Inalcık, H. and Quataert, D. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521343151/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521343151&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=cc66c7ad16506b01ae1292a0e287e33a An Economic and Social History of The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914]''. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 189.</ref> The leaders of the Ottoman recognized that there needed to be an economic revolution accompanied by extensive political and legal reforms. The Sultan and his advisors accepted that the Ottoman Empire had to modernize to survive.
====Political and Legal Changes==What were the Tanzimat Reforms?==
[[File:Thomas_allom,_c1840,_The_Enterance_to_Divan.png|thumbnail|left|250px|Entrance to the Divan Istanbul in the nineteenth century by Thomas Allom]]
The Tanzimat reforms focused heavily on reforming the Ottoman education system. The Islamic Clerics had dominated Ottoman education, but the reforms reduced their influence.<ref>Incalek and QuatertQuartet, p. 103.</ref> The Ottoman government created schools and universities based on the western European model. This was designed to allow the Ottomans have the skills to run the economy and society in a modern way and to develop the technology they needed to develop modern armies and the economy need to sustain such forces. The Tanzimat reforms also provided political changes that were designed to improve the status of the non-Muslim population. They were granted equal status before the law with Muslims, for the first time.<ref>Salesman "Celenk Secularization Process in the History of Turkish Education." ''Journal Social Science'', vol 19(2): 2009, p. 101</ref>
These reforms sought to secure the allegiance of the diverse ethnic and religious groups of the Empire. The reforms also attempted to restrict the Sultan's power of the Sultan and to ensure the rule of law throughout the land. There were even attempts to start a multi-party system. The Ottomans sought to emulate the more advanced western models to enable their society to modernize. The Ottoman government began to centralize authority into its own hands to ensure that the Tanzimat reforms succeeded despite the opposition of Islamic religious leaders and the majority Muslim population.<ref>Attila Ayetkin, "Peasant Protest in the Late Ottoman Empire: Moral Economy, Revolt, and the Tanzimat Reforms" ''International Review of Social History''. Vol 57, August 2012, pp 191-227</ref>
====Economic Reforms====
