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Overview

The Ottoman Empire was once a powerful force. At its zenith in 1683, the empire stretched from Vienna to modern-day Somalia and Iraq.

The Ottoman Empire covered modern-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and other areas. It was ruled by the capital of Constantinople.

This passage describes the end of the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century. However, it doesn’t just tell that story; it also examines how another empire—the British Empire—gained power and influence over its colonies. The two empires were similar in many ways, but they eventually became rivals as well. By examining decisions made by these two global superpowers, you’ll learn how one of today’s most politically volatile regions became a geopolitical hornet’s nest.

The British were convinced that Jewish revolutionaries in the Ottoman Empire were trying to take over the empire. They also believed that Gallipoli was a turning point for their strategy in the Middle East, and they made some promises at the end of World War I that didn’t come true. Those three things set up what would happen later on in history with Palestine and other nations.

Big Idea #1: At the turn of the twentieth century, the Ottoman Empire had long been in decline.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Western Europe was progressing economically and technologically. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire was called “the sick man of Europe”. The empire was a caliphate (Islamic monarchy) that united people based on their religious beliefs rather than nationality. Because most people in the empire were Muslim, religion played an important role in their daily lives. In contrast, western Europeans saw themselves as being much more modern and progressive because they had made so many technological advances over such a short period of time.

The Ottoman empire, compared to the European empires of France or Britain, didn’t have much political power and only controlled a small corner of their land.

European visitors were amazed at the empire’s organization, because they could see that although there was a military presence in most of its provinces, it didn’t have as much control over them as it seemed.

The Ottoman Empire had problems holding on to its territory. By the early twentieth century, it lost a lot of land because of European interests. In 1912, Italy took over Libya from the Ottomans. The empire also lost most of its southeastern European territories in Greece and Bulgaria by that time period as well.

So, by the start of World War I, all that was left of the Ottoman Empire were modern-day Turkey and other countries.

Big Idea #2: In 1913, the Ottoman Empire found itself facing a political crisis with wide-reaching consequences.

In the late 1800s, a group of Turks in charge of the Ottoman Empire decided that they needed to make some changes.

The Young Turks wanted to return the Ottoman Empire to a parliamentary democracy. Abdul Hamid had banned parliament in 1878.

During the first revolution, they successfully overthrew the sultan and brought back parliamentary leaders. However, infighting among the Young Turks undermined their political power. In 1913, it was clear that the empire would lose a war against Serbia, Bulgaria Greece and Montenegro. This gave them an opportunity to take over control of the government again in order to modernize by building railways and introducing electricity across Turkey. They hoped that pushing for more European standards would prevent Western powers from encroaching on remaining territories.

The Young Turks were able to seize power and control Constantinople. However, they did not have much control over what would happen next. They misinterpreted the situation in Constantinople as an example of how one man’s foolishness can cause dire consequences for an entire empire. The British ambassador’s advisor, Gerald Fitzmaurice, saw them as a threat to British interests because he believed that they could harm the Empire if given the chance.