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The decline of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire ottoman-empire The Islamic empire centred on Istanbul that ruled Anatolia, the Arab Middle East, North Africa, and southeastern Europe from the fourteenth century to its dissolution after the First World War. Its collapse created the modern states of the Middle East, Turkey, and the Balkans in ways that continue to shape regional politics. At its peak in the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire encompassed an enormous territory from Hungary to Yemen, from Algeria to the borders of Persia. It was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state governed through the millet system, which granted non-Muslim communities…
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When we think of the rise of Fascism in Italy, we often picture blackshirts, street brawls, and the March on Rome. We think of violence. But there was another, quieter form of violence that was just as instrumental in cementing Mussolini’s power: austerity. In this week’s podcast, I explored a fascinating paper by economist Clara Mattei, Austerity and Repressive Politics. Mattei argues that the early years of the Fascist regime (1922-1925) were defined by a brutal economic agenda designed to roll back the democratic gains of the post-WWI era. The Fear of Democracy After the First World War, Italy experienced a…