ABSTRACT
Tanzimat reforms happened in the context of major developments reshaping the mid-nineteenth century world, such as the spread of the Industrial Revolution and the rapid expansion of communications and transportation systems. One of the most important developments of the Tanzimat period was a huge expansion in the number of secondary institutions to fill the niche between elementary mektebs, under the firm control of the clerics, and highly specialized technical academies designed for a fairly small number of advanced pupils. Women particularly benefited from many Tanzimat reforms, particularly in education. Education had been important in launching and sustaining Tanzimat reforms through these years, given the number of reformers educated in new types of schools. The Rushdiye schools were inspired by new educational concepts around the world, in particular the Lancasterian monitor school that became popular in England and the United States in the 1810s and 1820s.
