The steady decay and disintegration of the Ottoman Empire forced the Ottoman sultans and statesmen to take some precautions, which usually took the form of attempts at reform. The intellectuals of the period discussed the nature of these reforms and wrote extensively on the successes and failures of the attempts to implement them. Ahmed Midhat Efendi (1844-1912) published an extensive examination of these reforms in his quite understudied book Üss-i İnkilab (The Basis of Reform), published in 1294/1877-78. In two volumes, Ahmed Midhat discusses the reforms that the Ottoman Empire had implemented over more than a decade (1861-1877) during the reigns of Abdülaziz and Murad V and the beginning of Abdülhamid II's reign.
The first volume discusses the events that took place during the period between the Crimean War and the enthronement of Abdülhamid II in 1876. It consists of two prologues, twelve chapters, and documentary appendices. The second volume examines extensively the first year of the rule of Abdülhamid II, giving special emphasis to the debates over the constitution and constitutional government. It consists of a prologue, three chapters and, documentary appendices.
This paper argues that, after a coup against Abdülaziz was accomplished and Murad V was deposed because of mental problems, Abdülhamid wished to make sure that his rule would not be one of those fragile reigns that lasted only for a short period.
To strengthen his position as a ruler in the eyes of the Ottoman bureaucrats and intellectuals of the period, he sought historical legitimization for his accession to power. To serve his purpose, nothing would be more effective than commissioning a court historian to write the official history of reforms, which "justifıes rather than criticizes" his rule.In Üss-i İnkılab, Ahmed Midhat attempts to demonstrate that Abdülaziz could not fully understand the essence of reforms, which is to give more freedom to the people, and failed to answer the demands of the Ottomans. Hence, Abdülaziz proved his incompetence to rule the empire. Ahmed Midhat further argues that Abdülhamid really wanted to implement radical reforms to increase the prosperity of his empire and was willing to offer justice and freedom to his people. Therefore, according to Ahmed Midhat, Abdülhamid, a freedom lover by birth, is a perfect fit for the empire.