In this series, we are discussing the events of World War I that led to the partition of the Ottoman Empire.
This is episode 5-25: Baku and Transjordan.
Before we get into the episode, let’s do a brief recap of where we are so far:
- Britain finally captures Jerusalem in December 1917, bringing an end to over seven hundred years of Muslim rule
- Russia signs an armistice with the Central Powers, and officially leaves the war
- Not long after, the Bolsheviks release the details of the Sykes-Picot Agreement
- Worried about losing support at home, President Wilson announces his Fourteen Points, the American plan for peace after the war
- No longer fighting on two fronts, Germany prepares for a massive offensive against the Allies
And with that, let’s begin our discussion of the Ottoman invasion of the Caucasus.
The Young Turk Revolution
It is too easy to blame the Ottoman Empire’s failures on the Young Turks. One may be tempted to label them as secular enemies of the Ottoman State. But a closer look at their history before the Great War, provides some nuance.
Not long after Sultan Abdul Hamid II took the throne in 1876, the Ottoman Empire was again at war with Russia. By the time the war was over, the Empire had lost most of its territory in the Balkans, the island of Cyprus, and Algeria in North Africa.