Gergana Georgieva,
Associate Professor, PhD
St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo
2, Teodosiy Tarnovski St.
5000 Veliko Tarnovo BULGARIA
E-mail: g.georgieva@ts.uni-vt.bg
SCOPUS Researcher ID: 57644155000
Web of Science Researcher ID AAN-5291-2020
https://publons.com/researcher/3372417/gergana-georgieva/
Nikolay Todorov,
Associate Professor, PhD
“Angel Kanchev” University of Ruse
8, Studentska St.
7017 Ruse BULGARIA
E-mail: todorovnikolay@abv.bg
SCOPUS Researcher ID: 57416480900
Web of Science Researcher ID: AAF-7073-2021
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1306-1289
https://doi.org/10.53656/978-619-7667-81-3-v2.03
Съдържанието е достъпно само за абонирани потребители.
Pages: 105 – 135
Abstract. The specifics of the Ottoman economy in the 18th-19th centuries raised methodological questions that require in-depth study. Very often the analysis of these problems is carried out through the prism of Western European models of economic development. These models, occurred in another sphere, are applied to the Ottoman environment in search of their full correspondence. The result is an adaptation of a reality generated by a specific historical development to ideal structures or models that may differ even within Western Europe. The search for economic transformation in the Ottoman Empire relevant to the Industrial Revolution in England is unjustifiable. According to the specifics of the Ottoman economic development, however, proto-industry played similar role to that of industrialization in Western Europe, and the two processes are comparable. Therefore, this paper will argue that a proto-industrial revolution took place in the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century and changed the Ottoman economy.
A concrete example is the “proto-industrial situation” (St. Yaneva) in the Bulgarian lands and more precisely the production and trade of silk. The wool proto-industry has long been an object of scientific interest and it will be used in a comparative perspective in order to highlight the specifics and characteristics of the organization of the silk industry. The difference between the two productions is clearly noticeable. Wool production is subject to considerable state regulation and market control, whereas silk enjoys considerable market freedom and minimal state intervention. This circumstance turns it into a basis for the development of a significant proto-industry. Consequently, the areas with strong proto-industry developed the industrialization of silk production.
Keywords: proto-industrialization; textile production; silk production; Tarnovo; Vratsa; Gabrovo
