The Greatest Disaster: The Failure of Great Britain's Ottoman Empire Policy, 1914
Abstract
Before 1914, Britain and Turkey had traditionally enjoyed a friendly relationship. How then did these two empires come to engage one another in a devastating war? In the years immediately preceding the First World War, the British government intended to ensure the Turks remained friendly neutrals in any conflict among the Great Powers. Why did this policy fail? The answers to these questions lie in the nature of the diplomatic relationship between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire in the years preceding the First World War. Britain's policy towards the Ottoman Empire in the immediate prewar period was limited by British public opinion, Great Power politics, and Britain s own interests in areas under Ottoman rule. These factors led British decision-makers to pursue a policy rife with contradictory, often self-defeating aims. At the same time, British diplomats in Constantinople misjudged the nature of the Ottoman government and missed opportunities to improve Anglo-Turkish relations. Because they labored under the mistaken assumptions relayed by their diplomats in Turkey, British decision makers did not apprehend the depth of the Anglo-Turkish rift until it was beyond repair. Their last-ditch efforts on the eve of the First World War came far too late.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 25, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA400652
Entities
People
- Joel D. Rayburn
Organizations
- United States Military Academy