The Young Turk movement started in Thessaloniki under the initiative of the Committee known as “Union and Progress”. Their main slogan was “Freedom, Equality and Justice”. They focused mainly on the abolition of the totalitarian regime of Sultan Abdülhamid II, the restoration of the 1876 constitution and the modernisation of the state to match European standards. Moreover, the Young Turks wished to maintain the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, while advocating for equality in general and equality before the law for all citizens, regardless of their language and religious faith. The Young Turk movement was enthusiastically welcomed by the ethnic groups of the Ottoman empire. However, the Young Turks soon started implementing a Turkish nationalism programme with a view to creating a Turkish state with a uniform ethnic identity.
