Transport geography and local development in 19th century Thrace

Abstract

The process of development of Thrace during the 19th century, in the
scientific framework of Historical Regional Geography and Transport Geography, is the main topic of the following essay. This viewpoint is historically interesting, since during that period the crumbling Ottoman Empire played a double socio-economic role. On one hand is functioned as an exploitative and dominating force in the Balkans through the Ottoman feudal system, while on the other it functioned as a semi-colonial regional force in relation to the powerful capitalistic European countries (mainly Great Britain, France, etc.).
Moreover, it is theoretically interesting, because it refers to the way in
which a “virtual development” was created in the context of the introduction of
European capitalism in a feudal environment. This introduction was also
encouraged by the use of innovative forces, such as the railway, which was the
new technology of that period. The spread of development in the specific geographic region (settlement space) of Thrace is methodologically interesting due to the use or function of internal or external factors. Five factors, complementary to each other, are located, which relate to the phenomenon of the spread of development in the geographic region. The three basic factors, which are of interest to Human Geography because they are determined by and for society (internally or externally) are the following: (i) the socio-economic structure, which is spatially differentiated, (ii) the settlement space, and (iii) the transport network. Two secondary factors which are: (iv) the geopolitical structure, a particularly unstable factor in the 19th century and (v) the geographic space, which restrained (positively, negatively or neutrally) the development of the remaining factors (e.g. the settlement space, the transport network etc.). The aim of this essay is to locate the zones of potential development in homogenous geographic units. The grouping or categorization of the zones is
achieved by a table of their assessment (table 1). The table in the vertical
columns includes the four factors of the supposed local development, which
were mentioned above. These are: geopolitical, geographic, socio-economic
and settlement structure, as they are differentiated in each zone with a positive, neutral or negative impact.
Simultaneously the fifth factor is also assessed, that is the transport
network, the impact of which on development is estimated both before and
after 1870 (when the railway was established). The last factor shows the
geometrical proximity of every zone on the basis of the total transport system
with an emphasis on the railway. The assessment (+, 0, -) of the factors in the
vertical columns is done empirically and comparatively for each case (table 1).
The horizontal reading of the five factors gives us the total importance of
the factors of the evaluation, on the basis of which the factors can be grouped
into less or more developed. The result of the final assessment, vertically and
horizontally, is the definition and description of the homogenous development
zones in Thrace during the 19th century. Nine new zones of development
appear (map 1). According to the data of assessment, zones number 7, 8, 9 follow the process of development positively (+), whereas the opposite is the
case with zones number 2, 4, 6, which are still not developed (-). The rest of
the zones are between these categories (towards + or -). Meanwhile, some other conclusions could be drawn, which lead to the general view that the attempt at the modernization of transport in Thrace by the Ottoman state (external cause) towards the end of the 19th century did not result in the expected modernization of the settlement space, due to internal and, partly external causes, which were determined by the factors of local development. These causes had an important impact on the settlement space of Thrace in the 19th century.