Abdulhamid’s Dance With Wolves - 3

Mustafa Armağan’s book “The Last Sultan’s Dance with Wolves” rewrites Ottoman history, portraying Sultan Abdulhamid II’s 33-year struggle to navigate a country surrounded by internal and external threats. The issue of dividing the Sick Man’s inheritance emerged in the 1850s, and after a heavy defeat against Russia in 1878, imperialism’s appetite grew, leading to multiple coups in Turkey. Sultan Abdulhamid faced threats from foreign powers upon ascending the throne. Despite imminent collapse, he initiated a 30-year effort to modernize the country, focusing on projects rang-ing from railways to education. Though labeled the “Red Sultan” for his defiance against imperialism, he made the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire costly for Europe, turning what they thought would be a bloodless operation into a bloody civil war, becoming a global concern.