Genel Türk Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi

Öz

ABSTRACT
In the last quarter of the 19th century, three major revolutions had taken place in the history of communication before the use of the telephone, and after the second half of the 20th century, before the discovery of the latest technological means of communication such as the internet and mobile phone. The first of these was writing, the second was the printing press, and the third was the electric telegraph. The electric telegraph has allowed the communication, which used to be based on land and sea for a relatively long time, to be made instantly and independently from sea and land transportation. This provided great advantages especially for states that dominate large geographies. These advantages were issues such as ensuring the security of the states more quickly and effectively, establishing their authority, determining and developing their economic policies, increasing their trade and increasing their level of maturity, welfare and technology. In this context, the Ottoman Empire made some studies to take advantage of the aforementioned advantages of the electric telegraph, a product of the industrial revolution. However, these studies had to be postponed until the Crimean War due to some problems. The electric telegraph, which first entered the Ottoman country for military and political reasons with the Crimean War, was extended to many parts of the country over time. After the war, the first lines were established between the cities in Rumeli and Istanbul, then between Istanbul and Anatolian cities and the Middle East. So much so that by the beginning of the last quarter of the 19th century, the length of the telegraph lines in the Ottoman country had reached approximately 27 thousand 360 km. The extension of telegraph lines to such large areas over time, in a way, showed the willingness of the state to follow technological developments closely and use them immediately. It was in this manner that the Fünun-ı Telgrafiye Mektebi, which had a two-year education period, was established in 1861. Technical information about telegraphy was taught in the school, and the number of these schools would be increased over time. The instantaneous communication with technology also kept the transportation cost of information at a minimum.
The Ottoman government used the telegraph as an effective tool in case of social, administrative, political and economic problems or turmoil in the countryside. In this context, in any case of banditry, the state immediately informed the provincial authorities what to do. Again, the telegraph was used as an effective tool in the problems that could be experienced with the consuls and smuggling incidents. Another important aspect of the telegraph was that it would enable fast communication between people. This was the answer to why the people were engaged in telegraph installation activities. Indeed, the service and contributions of the people to the state had an important role in the spread of telegraph lines over time, especially in Anatolia. The services rendered by the people were mostly the preparation of poles, planting and other works, the construction of telegraph offices and some donations they made. In return, the state supplied items such as wire and porcelain that had to be purchased from Europe. In this study, the first telegraph lines installation activities in Kastamonu and its subordinate Çankırı, Bolu and Sinop sanjaks are discussed within the framework of state and nation cooperation.