The Fall of the Ottoman Empire - Fate or Blunder?

I believe the fall of the Ottoman Empire was the fault of their own. First of all, they had a couple of poor rulers that contributed to their decline, like Sulem II, also known as “Sulem the Drunkard”. Also, the sultranate system started getting worse; bad sultans were being chosen. Thirdly, the Ottoman Empire was slow to industrialize like the other countries in Europe did and lagged behind in technology.

When Suleyman the Lawgiver ruled, all was well and the Ottoman Empire was prospering. When Selim II came to power, everything starting declining. That’s why he was called “Selim the Drunkard”. He had an addiction to alcohol, and because of him, their empire started declined and was never again as powerful as it was when Suleyman the Lawgiver was in power. He made bad decisions. (Nosotro)

Another reason for its decline was the degeneration of the sultanate system. Late in the reign of Suleyman, he executed the two most likely successors because they plotted against him (Nosotro). This started a wave of bad sultans, one of them being Sulem II. Also, the practice of strangling their brothers also led to their downfall. Because their brothers are possible successors, getting rid of them puts them at risk of choosing a bad successor who’s going to make bad decisions.

A third reason for the decline of the Ottoman Empire was slow industrialization. As the countries around them started developing technologically, the Ottoman Empire staggered. The technology they used before wasn’t as useful now, like the cannon for example. The Ottoman Empire was attacked in World War 1. The Ottomans couldn’t defend themselves and therefore lost most of their land, and all they were left with was Turkey. (Nosotro)

I actually believe that it was a combination of their bad decisions and the nations around them that led to the fall of the Ottoman Empire. For a long time, the Ottoman Empire was the gateway to the East; countries had to pass through them in order to trade with the East....