The Turkish Revolution 1908-09

On 24 July 1908, a bloodless act of regime change established a new government led by the “Young Turks,” descendants of the Young Ottomans. They were described as intellectuals of varying ideological stripes, most of whom had military officer backgrounds, and who formed the Committee of Unity and Progress (CUP). Their objective was to restore a constitutional, parliamentary system by overthrowing the absolutist rule of the Ottoman Sultanate. Though it proved short-lived, in part owing to Turkish alliance with the Germans during World War I, one of its major legacies was a rise in nationalism.