Why Did The Ottomans Join The Central Powers: Five Important Reasons
The Ottomans joined the Central Powers mostly due to the fact that they thought the alliance with Germany would benefit them, but there were other reasons that confirmed that it would be the last straw that finally crumbled this centuries-old empire to ashes. Nevertheless, the Ottoman Empire had been steadily declining for decades at the time the first world war broke out in 1914. Today we will look at the main factors that contributed to this ill-fated decision and why things shaped themselves the way they did. Keep reading to find why this powerful empire decided to join the central powers and how this led to their demise.
Why Did The Ottomans Join The Central Powers?
As we mentioned before, the reasons behind the Ottoman empire joining Central powers during World War I are numerous and complicated. At the onset of the war on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia following the assassination of its heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Turkey decided to stay publicly neutral for the first couple of months.
In reality, it had already entered into a secret alliance with the central powers comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria against Russia and its allies.
Read below to find out what factors roped the Ottoman Empire in World War I towards the central powers.
Ottoman-German Alliance: The Role it Played in the War
The Ottomans had a long-standing budding relationship with the Germans by the start of the first world war. This greatly contributed to the Ottoman decision of joining the German war effort in 1914. Given below are some of the prime examples of this relationship.
How the Ottoman-German Alliance Began
The German Kaiser was a long-time close friend of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Wilhelm II had been greatly impressed by the Turks during his Orient visit of 1898 and had declared himself 'a loyal friend' of the Muslims. In Turkey, he was colloquially known as Hajji Wilhelm and was rumored to have converted to Islam in secret.
Extending the Orient Express: Financial Benefits to Both Turkey and Germany
The Orient Express, a trans-European railway line, had been running from Constantinople to Berlin since 1889. In fact, at the onset of World War I, both allies had been working towards extending this railroad to Baghdad via Anatolia. The Baghdad railway line was projected to profoundly benefit both Germany and Turkey economically. It would also provide Germany with direct access not only to its East-African colonies but also towards British middle-eastern colonies.
Ottoman Empire Commissioning German Large-Scale Projects
German companies benefited greatly from several large-scale projects commissioned by the Ottoman empire. Some prime examples are the Hejaz Railway and the Baghdad railways. German engineers and other professionals were sought after all over Turkey.
Ottomans Can't Join the Allies: Against Moral Grounds and Religion
The German colonies in Africa had a very minuscule number of Muslim subjects. This was in contrast to the vast population of Muslims under British and French control. This made the Ottomans joining the allies an impossible choice based on strong religious and moral grounds.
Sultan's Capacity as Caliph: Asset to the Germans
The Sultan in his capacity as Caliph could compel all his Muslim subjects for a widescale Jihad against their non-Muslim oppressors. From a German point of view, this would come in handy in order to foment mass rebellion in the Muslim majority colonies controlled by the British and French.
Ottoman War Minister's Personal Preference For The Central Powers
Turkey's war minister at the start of the first world war was Enver Pasha. He had been a leading figure of the Young Turks national movement which sought to modernize and revolutionize the old, crumbling empire into a modern and secular state. He and his comrades eventually managed to stage a coup and take the power from the Sultan and his grand vizier in 1908 and reinstate the Turkish parliament.
As a young army officer, Enver Pasha had served as a military attache to Berlin from 1909 to 1911. He had been greatly impressed by the German Army and had, later on, played a key role in ushering a renewed German-Ottoman military cooperation starting from 1913. On August 2, 1914, he entered into a secret military alliance with Germany without taking the Turkish cabinet into confidence.
After the treaty became common knowledge, it was opposed by several important members of the Turkish parliament and military who felt that the empire was not ready for a full-scale war at the time. Enver managed to resist this opposition from the government and military elements and usher Turkey into the war on the side of the Central powers.
At that time, the German army was the largest in the world and Enver was convinced that joining the war along with central powers would reinstate the former glory of the Ottoman empire by regaining lost territory and amassing substantial financial gains.
Ottoman Empire Was A Traditional Enemy Of The Russians
One of the reasons behind the unlikely alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire was the long-standing enmity between the Ottomans and the Russians.
Given below are some of the major areas of contention between the two nations.
Religious Differences between Russian and Ottoman Empire
Both the Ottoman and the Russian empires considered themselves as the last standing seats of their respective religious civilizations. While the Ottoman sultan reigned as the spiritual leader of all Muslims around the world, the tsar too enjoyed his position as the head of the Russian Orthodox church.
A Long History Of Wars And Genocides
The Ottomans shared a long and bloody history of wars and genocides with Russia spanning centuries. As the Russians had their sights set on the holy lands in Turkey along with access to the warm waters of the Mediterranean, the Ottomans too sought to expand their territory further and further towards the North.
Given below are just a few examples of the conflicts between the two empires prior to World War I:
Russian campaigns around the black sea had resulted in the death and deportation of millions of Turkish Muslims in the 1800s.
The Ottoman and the Russian empires went directly head to head at least 12 times between the 16th and the 20th centuries. The most recent of these Russo-Ottoman wars leading up to World War I saw Turkey losing a significant portion of its territory to the Russian empire.
Russian elements were at the forefront of stirring nationalist sentiments in the Turkish-occupied Balkans and eastern European territories. The Balkan wars of 1912-1913 were prime examples of this Russian agitation.
German Military Missions In Turkey
German military missions had been involved in the training and reformation of the Turkish army since the time of Sultan Selim III in the 1700s. So, retired German officers were routinely hired and tasked with the improvement of the Turkish troops.
It was Sultan Abdul Hamid II who permitted the introduction of official German military committees in the Turkish army. Even after his time, the feverishly pro-German Enver Pasha continued this tradition and strengthened military ties with the Germans. The German mission under the command of Liman von Sanders was accepted in 1913 on his behest.
Liman continued to serve as the advisor to the Ottomans throughout world war I. The Ottoman army ordered military equipment from Germany, started implementing German military methods, and allowed non-Muslims to be inscribed in the army. Naturally, this would mean that the Ottomans would join central power as a close ally and friend.
Deteriorating Ottoman-British Relations
Throughout the nineteenth century, the British and the Ottoman empires enjoyed a moderately friendly relationship owing mainly to Britain's interests in the region. In 1883, the British acquired the right to carry out free trade inside Ottoman boundaries as well as access to the eastern ports of the empire. In return, it tried to dispel any threats to the stability of the empire.
However, things turned sour towards the end of the century. Back-to-back defeats in several wars, territorial loss, and severe financial stresses meant that Turkey no longer held any significant position in the eyes of the British.
The Ottoman empire was not asked to join the European entente between Britain, France, and Russia that lasted from 1907 and continued well into World War I.
After the rise of the most civil-autocratic government led by the predominantly pro-German Young Turks, the relationship between both empires further deteriorated. The British government turned down several proposals from the new government as a clear demonstration that it was no longer informing any civil relations with the empire.
By the onset of the First World War, Britain and France controlled most of the empire's banking and financial services. Moreover, many European countries were supposed to be represented in the Ottoman public debt commission. These conditions created a sense of rising resentment against the other European nations in general and Britain in particular.
The British controlled millions of Muslim subjects who were being repressed under its colonial rule. Furthermore, the Turks, as the figurehead of the Islamic civilization, could no longer turn a blind eye towards them.
Conclusion
We have covered all the leading reasons why the Ottomans entered the first world war on the side of the Central powers. Let us recap these points quickly:
One of the foremost reasons behind the Ottoman empire's decision to join the Central powers was its friendly relation with Germany
Turkey and Germany had been close allies for decades and the Orient Expressway was an important travel and trade route from Berlin to Istanbul, so they clearly had trade interests that went both ways
Even at the onset of war, both empires had been working together towards establishing the Baghdad railway line that would provide Germany with straight-line access to its east African colonies
The Turkish war minister at the start of World War I was Enver Pasha; leader of the Young Turks national Movement and a fierce pro-German. It was Enver Pasha who entered into a secret military alliance with the Germans as early as August 2, 1914. This was a time when most of the Turkish parliament was in favor of remaining neutral
The German army was, at the time, the largest and one of the best in the world. The Ottomans were convinced that they were joining the winning side and that this would lead them to regain territory lost in earlier wars
The Ottoman empire was a historic enemy of the Russian empire. Both empires had fought numerous wars with Turkey losing significant territory to the Russians. So, joining Russia would have been nearly impossible for the Turks and their military
The Turkish military had been receiving German military missions for training and joint exercises for decades. This had made many senior Turkish officers staunchly pro-German and willing to enter the war on behalf of the Central powers
Now you know that the main reason why the Ottoman Empire in WWI joined the central powers was due to the fact that they thought it was in their best interest, as their enemies were gathered on the Russian and Allies' side. Little did they know that this decision would also mark the day of their demise.
