Local Government Reform in the Ottoman and Russian Empires During the 19th Century: a Comparative Analysis of the Zemstvo Law and the 1864 Vilayet Nizamnamesi

Abstract

The 19th century modernization process of the Ottoman and Russian Empires initiated a comprehensive reform movement in both states. As a result of the Crimean War that broke out in the middle of the 19th century, making administrative arrangements to ensure economic prosperity became the primary target in the both empires, which were afraid of the pressure and intervention of European states. Thus, in the 19th century, in the Ottoman and Russian Empires, a number of administrative arrangements were made in local governments within the framework of effective management. On one hand, they adopted the understanding of expanding the activity and jurisdiction of their local administrations, on the other hand, the both empires aimed to strengthen the central government. This study aims to reveal the local government reform brought to the provincial organization by the 1864 Vilayet Nizamnamesi in the Ottoman Empire and the 1864 Zemstvo Law in the Russian Empire and to make a comparative analysis of both regula-tions in terms of historical background, content, scope and effectiveness.