<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Beginning from the late eighteenth century, the Ottoman Empire faced challenges defending itself against foreign invasion and occupation . In response to foreign threats, the empire initiated a period of tremendous internal reform which came to be known as the Tanzimat, which succeeded in significantly strengthening the Ottoman central state, despite the empire's precarious international position . Over the course of the nineteenth century, the Ottoman state became increasingly powerful and rationalized, exercising a greater degree of influence over its population than in any previous era . The process of reform and modernization in the empire began with the declaration of the Nizam - ı Cedid (New Order) during the reign of Sultan Selim III (r . 1789 - 1807) and was punctuated by several reform decrees, such as the Hatt - ı Şerif of Gülhane in 1839 and the Hatt - ı Hümayun in 1856 . At the end of this period, marked with 1908, to a degree the Ottoman military became modernized and professionalized according to the model of Western European Armies . The period was followed by defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire (1908--1922). </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

How did the ottoman empire respond to western influence