Wartime propaganda and the legacies of defeat the Russian and Ottoman popular presses in the war of 1877-78 /

by Isci, Onur

WARTIME PROPAGANDA AND THE LEGACIES OF DEFEAT: THE RUSSIAN AND OTTOMAN POPULAR PRESSES IN THE WAR OF 1877-78 by Onur Isci Proliferation of popular newspapers during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 transformed the boundaries of public debate in Russia. Circulation of these papers brought the people into close contact with each other as well as the outer world. Printing and the press had a parallel effect on the Fin de Siecle Ottoman public sphere. Newspapers of the Sublime Porte utilized defeats against Russia to juxtapose the Sultan’s cult as the sole symbol of unity with a nationalist one. “Wartime Propaganda and the Legacies of Defeat” is a comparative study of the two major newspapers – Basiret and Golos – during this period. I examine the major commonalities between these papers. My primary purpose is to shed light on the Turkish Popular Press, which weighed in on the issues of nationalism, defeat and political campaigning just as its Russian counterparts did.