Lesson 1 - The Allies’ projects to partition the Ottoman Empire during the Great War Flashcards
How did some of the Great Powers, like Russia try and weaken the Ottoman Empire?
1) Occupying or seizing some of its territory;
2) Encouraging ethnic minorities to seek autonomy if not independence, in hope new principalities or states could become valuable allies.
Which powers tried to preserve the Ottoman Empire - at least until the later years?
Others, such as Britain (at least until 1882, when British troops occupied Egypt), and to some extent Austria-Hungary, tried overall to preserve integrity of Ottoman Empire andacted as protectors of Porte
In early 1914 how did most of the Great Powers see the Ottoman Empire?
As a burden
How did this change by the summer of 1914?
They saw the Ottoman Empire as a potential ally
Who signed a treaty in August 2014
Berlin and the Ottoman Empire
Why was the Ottoman Empire Ottoman the dragged into Great War, on 2 Nov1914?
Ottoman fleet under command of German admiral Wilhelm Souchon attacked Russian positions in Crimea and along Black Sea coast. On 2 Nov., Russia declared war on Ottoman Empire.
Who joined Russia a few days later?
Britain and France then followed suit three days later.
Did France, Russia and Britain know at the start of the war what the fate of the Ottoman Empire should be?
No, throughout they conflict they elaborated various plans which:
1) were influenced to large extent by the military situation on ground;
2) The legacy of decades of expansionist policies and of competition between colonial powers eager to get whatever advantage or territory that seemed available.
Who in spite of the Entente remained enemies?
France and Britain
Did the series of conferences during and after the war bear any relationship to the projects set out at the start of the war?
No
How was the task of western diplomats and politicians was complicated further?
The Entente members and particularly Britain had made series of
commitments to third parties:
1) Sharif Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi, ruler of Mecca;
2) World Zionist Organisation in 1917;
3) Italy in 1915.
What did France and Britain try to do ?
Tried to get out of some of these commitments but they were not to be forgotten!
Where and what were the French commercial interests in the area?
They had commercial and Financial interests n Beirut, Aleppo and Suriyya (around Damascus), including Aleppo-Damascus and Beirut-Damascus railways and in silk production of Lebanon.
French interests were also present further south in sanjaq of Jerusalem.
What other interests did the French have in the area?
They had strong cultural and historical links with Christian communities in the region, especially the Maronites living in Beirut and the Mount Lebanon area.
The French missionaries were also present in region in relatively large numbers.
In the Holy Land, The French claimed protectorate over all Catholic interests. Such “sentimental” involvement dated back to the crusades and was confirmed by Suleiman the Magnificent, who made the French kings protectors of Christians in the Middle East.
When had the French interest in Syria been acknowledged by Britain?
when the two countries signed the Second Entente Cordiale in April 1904. This was in return for France recognising Britain’s position in Egypt.
What the Middle East the priority of France when the war started?
No, the Priority of government was to recover Alsace-Lorraine.
What however did the colonial lobby want?
They wanted the Ottoman Empire to be dismembered and France get Syria. What “Parti colonial” (“colonial lobby”) meant by
Syria, was “la Syrie intégrale”, ie area that stretched from Taurus mountains in north to Egyptian border in south, and included most Arabian desert.
Who were two famous people in the Parti Colonial?
François Georges-Picot (who had served as consul
in Beirut) and Stephen Pichon (Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1906-11, in 1913, from 1917-20).
Why did France not play a major role in the war in the Middle East?
France’s war commitments in Europe made it impossible
for her to take leading role in war in Middle East. Instead, war against Ottoman Empire was left to Britain and Tsarist Russia.
Why did Britain at the beginning of the war have limited interests in the Middle East?
Because Britain had largely got what she wanted earlier?
1) Suez Canal: even though French interests still held 56% of shares, British government had become with 44% largest shareholder in 1875.
2) Egypt: in 1882, British troops landed in Alexandria and occupied Egypt. Although occupation was supposed to be temporary, under consul-general Lord Cromer, London established “veiled protectorate” over Egypt;
3) Protectorates in the Persian gulf: Bahrain in 1860, Muscat and Oman in 1892, and Trucial States (group of tribal confederations, forerunner of United Arab Emirates) in 1892.
What were the main concerns for Britain?
1) To ensure that route to India remained open. This meant that Arabian peninsula had to be kept under control to prevent any potential Ottoman and German threats to vital sea route between Britain and Raj;
2) To ensure continuous access to British-controlled refinery in Abadan, Persia. After a series of successful trials from 1904, Royal Navy had been converting between 1912 and 1914 its vessels from coal- to oil-powered engines. Therefore access to Persian Gulf was critical for war effort. This explains why 1st major action against
Ottomans was occupation of Basra by expeditionary force from India in Nov. 1914.
What did Britain want to prevent Russia from doing?
Britain’s ambition was to prevent Russians in particular from gaining access to Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf.
Why was the formulation of a clear British policy towards the region complicated?
A large part of the Arab provinces of Ottoman Empire was under the responsibility of different departments with conflicting views. i.e foreign office, high commission in Cairo, Viceroy and Government in India.
What had the ambition been of Russia in the area?
1) To annex Constantinople, for religious, cultural and strategic reasons;
2) To control Straits, ie passage between Black Sea and Mediterranean, for strategic and economic reasons.
