The Ottoman Road to War in 1914: The Ottoman Empire and the First World War

Cambridge Military Histories

by Mustafa Aksakal

Why did the Ottoman Empire enter the First World War in late October 1914, months after the war's devastations had become clear? Were its leaders 'simple-minded,' 'below-average' individuals, as the doyen of Turkish diplomatic history has argued? Or, as others have claimed, did the Ottomans enter the war because War Minister Enver Pasha, dictating Ottoman decisions, was in thrall to the Germans and to his own expansionist dreams? Based on previously untapped Ottoman and European sources, Mustafa Aksakal's dramatic study challenges this consensus. It demonstrates that responsibility went far beyond Enver, that the road to war was paved by the demands of a politically interested public, and that the Ottoman leadership sought the German alliance as the only way out of a web of international threats and domestic insecurities, opting for an escape whose catastrophic consequences for the empire and seismic impact on the Middle East are felt even today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, Military History, 20th Century, Middle East

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although most historians think that Turkey entered the war on Germany's side because they were fooled by the Germans or because it was tricked and manipulated by the delusional Enver Pasha, Aksakal offers some new insights, arguing that Ottoman entry was neither planned or inevitable.

Ironically, Turkey’s decision to fight alongside Germany came at a time when German influence in Constantinople was at an almost total eclipse. The Germans at first dismissed the idea of an Ottoman alliance, doubting its ability to contribute, but Enver Pasha basically tricked the Germans into signing a treaty that obligated Germany to defend the empire. The treaty was ingeniously worded by the Turks in such a way that, technically, the Ottomans didn't even have to enter the war. After the treaty was signed, the Ottomans sought to delay entry into the war for as long as possible, ideally until it was already over. Ottoman neutrality was flimsy at best.

Basically, Turkey favored an alliance with Germany in order to milk as much aid out of Germany as it could, while doing as little as possible in return.The Germans, on the other hand, favored an alliance with Turkey so that it could over-extend Russian power and foment Islamic revolutions in Entente-controlled Islamic territories. It did not turn out well for either country.

Although many older studies of the war and the memoirs of the rest of the Young Turks blame Enver Pasha for single-handedly leading Turkey into the war, the German alliance had the support of the Turkish public, or at least most of its government. The Ottomans saw the July Crisis as an opportunity to recoup its losses from the Balkan and Tripolitanian Wars. They were also alarmed at Turkey’s diplomatic isolation as well as the degree of European influence over its economy and internal politics. Enver Pasha was not a loose cannon or a one-man show. He was simply the government’s chief negotiator, whose alliance strategy received government backing. For the Ottomans, a German alliance meant long-term security and breathing space to carry out its intended reforms.The CUP wanted a modernized, powerful, and secular nation free of foreign influence and capable of asserting itself regionally. Entry into the war on Germany’s side, they decided, gave them such an opportunity.

[Cool_guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets the job done. There's no reason to read this unless you're working on a project about - you guessed it - the start of the First World War.

[BJ Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical narrative is formed not just by the information shared but also by the information left out. Mustafa Aksakal presents an excellent and thoroughly researched history of the events and decisions within the Ottoman Empire that led to their entering the first world war. The fact that he does so while completely ignoring the "Armenian question" which cost nearly two million citizens their lives or at least their homes and possessions demonstrates a deep seeded hatred among so many Turks for minority citizens within their borders that continues to this day.

[jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed analysis of the alliance between Germany and the Ottoman Empire leading up to the Ottoman entry into WWI.

[Konstans · Rating 5 out of 5]

kısa ama oldukça bilgilendirici bir kitap. osmanlı imparatorluğunun cihan harbine girişinin ihalesinin enver paşaya yüklenmesi klişesi üzerinden ilerleyen bir metin. almanya ile yapılan ittifak merkezinde rusya, ingiltere, fransa ve balkan ülkelerinin dahil olduğu geniş bir çembere yayılan yoğun bir yazışma trafiğini içeriyor. bu yazışma trafiğinin konusu olan ince hesaplar ve ayarlamalarla metin heyecanlı bir okuma zevki sunmuş. kim savaşa nasıl girecek kimle girecek ne zaman girecek soruları etrafında osmanlının ne yapacağı ne yapmayacağı ve bunların sonuçlarının ne olacağının hesaplandığı bir süreci okuyoruz. cihan harbini hiç bir zaman bu açıdan okumadık diye düşünüyorum biz hep osmanlı imparatorluğunun almanya ile ittifak yaparak savaşa girişiyle başladık ama bu süreç bu noktaya nasıl geldi bu pek üzerinde durulmayan bir konu. kitabın sonuç bölümünde osmanlının savaşa girişinden sorumlu tutulanların suçlandığı maddelerin savaş anlatısını oluşturmasına değinilmiş. kitap şu an basılmıyor halbüki çok daha fazla baskı yapmış olmasını dilerdim. herşey nasıl başladı merak edenler için bence iyi bir metin.

[Ebru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feroz Ahmad'in önsözüyle başlayan kitabın bir argümanı var:

Birinci Dünya Savaşına girme kararını Enver Paşa kendi başına vermemiştir. Balkan savaşları sonrası yaşanan moral bozukluğu, Almanya dışında borç bulamaması, Almanya'nın kısa vade için Osmanlı'nın dağılmasını istemiyor oluşu (diğer devletlerin güçlenmemesi için) nedeniyle Almanya ile işbirliğine herkes destek veriyordu. Ancak yaygın kabul yani İTC liderlerinin kimseye sormadan savaşa girme kararı alması Cumhuriyetin kuruluşu sonrası anılarda yer almıştır ve tarih bu kaynaklardan yazılmıştır. İttifak süresince savaş ertelenmeye çalışılmış, ilişkisinin kopma noktasında savaşa girilmiştir deniyor. Almanya yerine itilaf devletleriyle girilseydi Osmanlı'daki Alman askerleri geri gönderilecek ve savaş sonrası da İngiltere, Fransa ya da Rusya'dan birine bağlı kalınacaktı.

Oldukça detaylı, belgeler üzerinden an be an tartışmalar kitaba yansıtılmış. İyi bir tarih çalışması. Karşı argümana sahip aynı kalitede bir kitap okumak isterim.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and fascinating treatment of various issues surrounding the Ottoman entrance into WWI. While the main topic deals with entrance into the war, I also liked how Aksakal helps to explain many of the changes which led to Turkish nationalism after the Ottoman Empire had been so multi-cultural for so long.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely detailed about the diplomacy of 1914, but doesn't mention much at all. We are told the Ottoman forces were not ready, but zero details about that exactly. It was too narrow in its focus, I was still left without any info on the Ottoman economy, military etc...