sentences:  They hoped to re-affirm the monarchic powers of the Sultan Abdulhamid II as absolute monarch, even though the Sultan himself came to power accepting a Constitution and opening the first Ottoman parliament, the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire, in 1876 during the First Constitutional Era.Parliament was adjourned in 1878 with the pretext of the Russian War and Abdulhamid II reigned as an absolute monarch for over 30 years until 1908, when Parliament resumed its activities in the Second Constitutional Era, upon pressure of the progressive forces in the Empire.However, a reactionary uprising that began on April 13, 1909 (March 31, 1325 AH in Rumi calendar) caused the democratic process to be interrupted once again.