İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti (Committee of Union and Progress)

The İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, or Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), was a political organization in the late Ottoman Empire, founded in 1889. It aimed to modernize and strengthen the empire through reform and nationalism. The CUP became a dominant political force, especially after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution, which restored constitutional monarchy. It played a significant role during World War I, promoting centralized authority and controversial policies, including ethnic-related upheavals. Ultimately, the CUP's influence declined after the war, but it significantly shaped the political landscape leading to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of modern Turkey.