The Ottoman Empire: A Timeline WWI marks a

Transcript:The Ottoman Empire: A Timeline WWI marks a:
The Ottoman Empire: A Timeline WWI marks a dramatic division between the 19th century and the contemporary age losses in the Ottoman Empire were among the highest of all nations affected by the war: 4 out of 5 Ottoman citizens who died were noncombatants and many of the casualties were a result of famine WWI brought about a new political order in the region that has lasted to this very day. the creation of the current state system in the region On December 18, 1914, Great Britain unilaterally declared the establishment of a protectorate over Egypt By the early 1920s, Turkey was an independent republic North African provinces had all been occupied Asiatic Arab provinces had been divided into what would become separate states a large part of the Arabian peninsula had been united under the control of the Saudi dynasty A variety of nationalisms --Turkish, Arab, Syrian, Egyptian-- spread throughout the region Background The Ottoman Empire, a modernizing state in the 19th century, sought to establish a sovereign state and to enjoy full membership in the international state system A member of the Concert of Europe since 1856 and the end of the Crimean War Diplomatic, political and political losses since 1878  country in financial ruin and demoralized In the face of those losses, a radical leadership emerged, organizing itself as the Committee of Union and Progress Belief that only military power could preserve the Empire In the context of the Balkan Wars in 1911-13, the CUP seized control in 1913 The Ottoman government first thought of the War as a European affair The Entente Powers promised the protection of the Ottoman Empire’s territorial integrity Promise rejected by the Ottomans: privy to exchanges that indicated otherwise Russian ambassador’s note of August 6, 1914: “the Ottoman Empire be kept neutral until that point in time when circumstances permit our own firm entrance into the Straits.” Biggest Ottoman fear: the European war might precipitate Russian seizure of Istanbul and the Straights A minority within the CUP hoped for closer ties to France and Russia Majority favored the Triple Alliance CUP proposed alliance with the Central Powers or the Empire would side with the Entente Germans feared loss of investments and of a chance to gain a sphere of dominance in the Near East A German-Ottoman alliance was signed on August 2, 1914 The Ottomans thought of it more as a