Iron ships and iron men: naval modernization in the Ottoman Empire, Russia, China and Japan from a comparative perspective 1830-1905

Abstract

The Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century dramatically transformed navies from fleets of wind-driven wooden ships into steam-propelled ironclad squadrons. The industrial framework, administrative competence, personnel training and financial capability necessary to maintain an up-to-date navy skyrocketed. The Ottoman Empire attempted to maintain a modern fleet throughout the nineteenth century with a varying degree of success. In this thesis, the naval modernization strategies of the Ottoman administration during the years of Industrial Revolution are examined in comparison with those of the Russian, Chinese and Japanese Empires, which shared social and administrative structures similar in many ways by using detailed monographies and various other works related to the topic.