@son of liberty: Thanks Hopefully I won't fail immediately
@Aliasing: Thats kind of what I am afraid of, perhaps I picked a challenge too big for my abilities, we will see
Also this prologue is a mixture of my own (poor) writing and excerpts of the KR wiki, I omitted some stuff like the Three Pasha or the Young Turks to keep things simple, for more info about the Ottoman Empire during the Weltkrieg please go check the wiki
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Prologue: The Weltkrieg and it's consequences
The Ottoman Empire, the sick man of Europe. For decades this once great nation seemed to always be on the brink of collapse. Internal unrest and corruption plagued every corner of the Empire and the conservative elements of the society resisted any attempt to modernize it. Still miraculously this dying empire somehow managed to survive against all expectations, and lived long enough to face the bloody Weltkrieg.
The Empire enjoyed good relations with both blocks, however their mortals enemies, the Russians, had sided with the Entente, this made the Ottomans drift towards the Central Powers.
Mehmed V was the Ottoman Sultan during most of the Weltkrieg, unlike the rest of the government he opposed the entrance of the Ottoman Empire in the war
At the beginning of the war a secret pact was signed between the Germans and the Ottomans, promising the latter's help in the war. This pact finally came to light with the escape of the Goeben and Breslau. This two German ships escaping from the Royal Navy fled to Constantinople, and were “gifted” to the Ottoman Navy, latter this ships would take part in an attack to Sevastopol, the Empire had entered the war.
The Goeben and Breslau
The two blocks at the beginning of the Weltkrieg
The Weltkrieg was not the Empire’s greatest moment, most of the engagements were defensive and the Ottoman armies suffered several defeats against the Russians in the Caucasus and the British and Arab rebels in the middle east. Still not everything was disasters, in Gallipoli the Empire repelled a major Entente amphibious invasion aimed at conquering Constantinople itself, it was arguably the Ottomans finest hour in the war even if costly. This battle also signified the rise to power of Mustafa Kamal, a 34-year-old Lt. Col., whose brilliant command during the battle was essential for the Ottoman victory.
Mustafa Kamal in the Turkish trenches in Gallipoli
Despite some occasional victories the war continued to be disastrous for the Ottomans and in 1918 the Empire was pretty much defeated, it’s army shattered and collapse seemingly inevitable. If not for the German Spring Offensive forcing the British operation in the middle east to stop, the Empire certainly would be no more. In this small breathing time several important changes were made being the most important the dismissal of Ismail Enver Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of War, the promotion of Mustafa Kamal Pasha to the rank of General and his appointment as commander of the Syrian frontier.
This small respite revitalized the Ottoman war effort, and with the support of the rest of the Central Powers not only they repulsed the British attacks, they pushed them all the way back to Suez were both sides entrenched themselves until the end of the war.
The victorious nations of the Weltkrieg and their respective leaders at the beginning of the war
When the peace treaty was signed with the British, the so-called "Peace with Honour" which effectively ended the Weltkrieg, the Ottoman staked many claims on former territories in Africa and the Balkans. However the general poor performance of the Ottomans made sure that little can be asked for in compensation in terms of land, at the end the Ottomans regained Cyprus and Kuwait under direct control, while Ottoman Influence in Albania and Libya was duly recognized.
However, due to the extraordinary amount of war weariness sustained by the Ottomans and its allies, several rebellions occurred against the Ottomans rule in their provinces in arabia and the Ottomans were forced to recognize the independence of the Kingdom of Hejaz and formalize borders with them.
The Ottomans columns marching tired but victorious
While the Ottoman Government celebrated the conclusion of the Weltkrieg as a victory, calling it "a successful struggle for the Sultanate against the Imperialist and Colonial ambitions of the hostile foreigners in Paris, Petrograd and London", many wondered whether or not was the Weltkrieg a Pyrrhic victory for the Ottomans, reflecting on the large costs in manpower, equipment and infrastructure, especially in the Middle East.
Following the End of the Weltkrieg, the Ottoman government found itself faced with many difficulties, ranging from economic shortages to political instability. The old government was forced to resign and a new cabinet led by Said Halim Pasha was formed. With the German help this new government accomplished a miracle, new reforms were passed, the Arabs were given new rights after meetings with their local leaders, railroads were built, the infrastructure was improved and the industry was expanded. In the 1930’s, for the first time the Ottoman Economy was booming.
Said Halim Pasha, whose government was responsible for the post war recovery and revitalization of the Ottoman Empire
The military too suffered major changes. A special commission was formed to begin the process of reformation the Ottoman Army, the Commission, headed by General Mustafa Kemal Pasha, noted the inefficiencies and mishaps of the Ottoman Army during the Weltkrieg, blamed on the ineffectiveness of Ismail Enver Pasha as War Minister, proceeded to instate a more effective military through the organization of Mobilization plans as well as the modernization of recruitment and training methods.
Still the future remains uncertain for the Ottomans, in Europe the rumours of Serbian plans to invade Bulgaria reach the Sultan’s hears, this if true could potentially drag the Ottomans into another war in the Balkans. In its vassals underground movements talk of independence, while Arab nationalists still remain at large in the Empire. And perhaps the biggest threat comes from Egypt which attempts to rally the Arab nations in a jihad against the Ottomans.
