Committee of Union and Progress
From Free net encyclopedia
Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) (Turkish: İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti) was a political organization during the dissolution period of the Ottoman Empire which came to power between 1908 and 1918. At the end of WWI most of its members were court-martialled by the sultan Mehmed VI, and were imprisoned.
The Young Turk Revolution played a significant role in the formation of Committee of Union and Progress. The revolution and CUP's work made a stronger impact on Muslims. The Persian community in Istanbul founded the Iranian Union and Progress Committee. Indian Muslims imitated the CUP oath for joining the organization. The leaders of the Young Bukhara movement were deeply influenced by the Young Turk Revolution, and saw it as an example to emulate.
The real reason for the popularity of the CUP among Muslims throughout the world was its simultaneous espousal of the establishment of a modern state and the struggle against imperialism. While the CUP's attempt to build a modern state via its political philosophy impressed Muslim intellectuals world-wide, it was its strong anti-imperialism that made it an icon of the Muslim populations under European rule.
The Chinese Revolution of 1911 and the Russian Revolution of 1917 diverted the attention of world revolutionaries from the Young Turk Revolution.