Ottoman-German Alliance
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The Ottoman-German Alliance was an alliance established between the Ottoman Empire and the German Empire on August 2nd, 1914. It was this binding alliance that ultimately led the Ottoman Empire to war on the side of the Central Powers.
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[edit] Ottoman Empire
There was a movement in Turkey in favour of an alliance with France and Great Britain. Figures such as Talat Pasha favored an alliance with the Allied powers. It was impossible to reconcile an alliance with the French however, as France's main ally was Russia, the long-time enemy of the Ottoman Empire since the Wars of 1828.
The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V specifically wanted Turkey to remain a non-belligerent nation; however, pressure from Germany and Mehmed's advisor led the Turkish to war against the Triple Entente.
[edit] Germany
Germany needed the Ottoman Empire on its side. The plans of the Oriental Railway, which would transport passengers through the Balkans to Constantinople, were achieved in 1888 with its completion. The Sultan gave permission to German bankers to construct a railway deeper into Anatolia, to Bagdat. At the beforemath of the First World War, the Orient Express was ready to extend to the Persian Gulf under Germany's control. This would help the Ottoman Empire to be part of industrialized Europe, while it would give Germany an access to its African colonies, and to help trade with India. To keep the Ottoman Empire from joining the Triple Entente, Germany encouraged Romania and Bulgaria to enter the Alliance, to sway Turkey into joining a much greater union, and to try and lead Turkey into a locality of Europe it knew well.
[edit] The Secret Treaty
The secret treaty [1] was signed between the Ottoman Empire and Germany on August 2nd, 1914, to enter the war on the side of the Central Powers, one day after Germany declared war on Russia. The alliance was ratified by many high ranking Turkish officials, including Grand Vizer Said Halim Pasha, the Minister of War Enver Pasha, the Interior Minister Talat Pasha, and Head of Parliament Halil Bey.
[edit] Controversy of the Treaty
However, there was no signature from the House of Osman, and the Sultan himself had not signed it. As the Sultan was the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, as written in the constitution, this made the legitimacy of the Alliance questionable, as this would mean that the army would not be able to fight a Jihad on behalf of the Sultan. As the Sultan had wanted the Empire to remain neutral, he did not wish to command a war himself, and as such, left the Cabinet to do much of his bidding.
[edit] Goeben Incident
- Further information: Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
[edit] Footnotes
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