Ottoman economic weakness stemmed from too little central control, not too much

Evidence

But there is another aspect of the Ottoman decline that suggests a different present-day parallel. The economic weakness of the Middle East, unlike that of the Soviet Union, was not due to an excess of central control, which on the contrary was almost entirely lacking. There was some economic regulation, mainly at the level of the craft guild and the country market, but in the mo­ bilization and deployment of economic power, the Ottoman world was falling far behind Western Europe. It had also become a predominantly consumeroriented society. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1743 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Ottoman economy lagged not from state overreach but from weak central mobilization — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1743; Ottoman defeats stemmed from command dysfunction, not merely a later start to reform — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1384; Ottoman defeats stemmed from leadership factionalism, untrusted advisors, and weak officer training, not timing — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1384

Broader Connections

• The Ottoman economy lagged not from state overreach but from weak central mobilization #corroborates (1.00) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1743