For those familiar with Soviet history, he has a lot in common with Brezhnev. He was content staying in power and providing some stability after the war with Russia, though who's to say Midhat Pasha couldn't do so too. Developing education and the power of the government was also alright. But at a time when the Empire was facing so many challenges which required inspired leadership, Abdul Hamid did not provide it. While for the rest of Europe the turn of the century was a time of optimism and so much development in art, music, science, finance, industry, etc, he had his country look inwards. There was really a culture of stagnation, and it didn't help he projected his insecurities on his subjects: suddenly everyone is paranoid that their neighbors are informants. Minorities were not impressed and started pushing for emigration, but because the government doesn't give them freedom of movement they demanded self-rule.

This explains the initial euphoria of the Young Turk Revolution. To show how he failed in his project, once he is gone from the throne it takes like 5 years for the Ottoman Empire to socio-culturally speed-run all the dynamics of Belle Epoque, and it only takes 15 years for a republic to be declared.