An American Enterprise and an Endeavour of Reading the Ottoman City: The Levant Trade Review and Smyrna (1911-1914)
Özlem KutkanThis article is based on a meticulous study of the Ottoman-American economic relations in the Levant Trade Review (1911-1931), published by the American Chamber of Commerce for the Levant, upon realizing that the Levant Trade Review might possibly shed some light on the history of the city of Smyrna. Thus, observations and reports which were penned by authorities such as the chamber of commerce, consulates and educators, enabled researchers to read about cityies trade centers’ socio-economic structures and natures during their transformation period. This period was determined by the development of the Turco Italian War of 1911-1912 and the Balkan Wars following the first publication of the journal in 1911. Thus, in terms of apperceiving the economical dynamics of the era, examining Smyrna through its commercial activities with the USA (which had a strong and steady position in the world’s economy in the first quarter of the 20th century) was considered to be significant as one of the three important economical centers of Ottoman State, With this aim, the dimensions of the social and economic life of Smyrna, based on the Levant Trade Review, are used to give visibility to the period.
Bir Amerikan Ticari Teşebbüsü ve Bir Osmanlı Kentini Okuma Çabası: Doğu Akdeniz Ticaret Dergisi ve İzmir (1911- 1914)
Özlem KutkanBu makale, Amerikan Doğu Akdeniz Ticaret Odası tarafından yayınlanan Doğu Akdeniz Ticaret Odası Dergisi (1911-1931) üzerinden Osmanlı Amerikan ekonomik ilişkilerine ilişkin yürütülen kapsamlı bir araştırma sürecinde derginin şehir tarihi yazımına yapabileceği katkıların görülmesiyle ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu bağlamda, ticaret odası yetkilileri, konsoloslar, eğitimciler gibi yetkili ve donanımlı kişilerce kaleme alınan gözlem ve raporların özellikle ticaret merkezi olan kentlerin sosyal ekonomik yapılarını bir süreç üzerinden okuma imkânına yaklaştırdığı görülmüştür. Bu yazıda söz konusu birikim ise derginin kuruluş tarihinden itibaren Trablusgarp ve Balkan Savaşları dönemini kapsayacak ölçüde İzmir üzerinden değerlendirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Nitekim Osmanlı Devleti’nin üç büyük ekonomi merkezinden biri olan İzmir’in XX. yüzyılın ilk çeyreğinde dünya ekonomisinde güçlü ve sağlam bir konuma oturmuş olan Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’ne ait bir ticari kuruluş faaliyetleri üzerinden incelenmesi dönem ekonomi dinamiklerinin kavranması açısından kayda değer bulunmuştur. Bu nedenle İzmir’de iktisadi dönem şartlarının neler olduğu sorusuna verilen yanıtlar, Doğu Akdeniz Ticaret Dergisi temelinde tematik başlıklar altında ve ağırlıklı olarak dönem şartlarının okunabilir kılınması yöntemi ile kaleme alınmıştır.
This article was written whilst conducting a meticulous study on the economic relations between the Ottomans and Americans through the journal, Levant Trade Review, published by the American Chamber of Commerce for the Levant, upon realizing that this journal might possibly shed some light on the history of the Smyrna. As a matter of fact, the American Chamber of Commerce for the Levant was one of the examples of the twentieth-century transformation and development of chambers of commerce which were founded for the first time in the last decade of the sixteenth century in France, when this mercantilism and trade capitalism dominated the economic life. For this reason, it is possible to make extensive reading on the economic, social, and even cultural structures of the period through the observations and reports of this organization. Using the example of the city of Smyrna (which was one of the three major economic centers of the Ottoman State), we aim to evaluate this accumulation of knowledge. The period was determined by the development of the Turco Italian War of 1911-1912 and the Balkan Wars following the first publication of the journal in 1911. Within this context, it should be noted that the year 1911 is important for revealing the method of organization of the chamber of commerce and the reasons for its establishment and publication of its journal.
Therefore, the American economic structure’s dynamics and characteristics are analyzed in the introduction of this article. Then, an attempt is made to concretize the economic and social conditions of the Ottoman State and Smyrna. With this aim, the dimensions of the social and economic life of Smyrna are presented thematıcally and, on the basis of the Levant Trade Review, used as a method of developing an understanding of the period.
There are also two target factors to consider. The first is to minimize the author's conclusions about the prevailing conditions of the period, and to leave the reader to form their own opinions in the main section. The sections of the article are generally based on the journal’s special economic issues which are related to Smyrna. In this context, it should be noted that the Smyrna Chamber of Commerce’s observations and evaluations have a significant role to play in accounts of Smyrna. According to their records, Smyrna port’s role and its surroundings’ needs were vital for the city and state economic power. In addition, long distances and the lack of direct navigation of steamships were among the main problems. Subsequently, this journal attempts to open a window to the Ottoman merchants and wholesaler’s expectations of, and problems with, the American entrepreneurs in the local markets. Besides that we can also read the American entrepreneurs’ approach towards the opportunities of the time. This research also evaluates the agricultural sector’s transformations related to the procedures of different hygiene practices developed during the packaging and shipping stages, as well as the living conditions shaped in the fields of agriculture and horticulture under both wartime and peacetime conditions. Moreover, at the end of this period, companies and trusts were established and the developments related to mobilities ranging from domestic and foreign capital rivalries to workers’ movements contributed, as seen in this journal, to the formation of economic and social advances in the city.
Finally, this research aims to illustrate the journal’s potential and significance for the Smyrna case. It is without doubt that the journals of the chambers of commerce published by other countries will also shed light on relevant areas of interest.
