The Ottoman Empire Joins the Great War

The Central Powers Form

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July 1914, one month after Francis Ferdinand’s death. Austria-Hungary’s close ally, Germany, entered the war within days, declaring war on Russia on August 1 and on France on August 3, 1914. By late October 1914, they were joined by the weakened Ottoman Empire, which entered the war after attacking Russian ports.

The Ottoman Empire in Decline

Present-day Turkey is a remnant of the Ottoman Empire. In the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire extended from Libya in the west to Mesopotamia in the east. But on the eve of World War I, the empire had lost territory, and Ottoman control over its holdings beyond Asia Minor was weak. Writers of the time called the Ottoman Empire “the sick man of Europe.” Many people believed it was only a matter of time before one of the European colonial powers conquered part or all of the six-hundred-year-old Ottoman Empire.

The Rise of the Young Turks

A group of military officers called the Young Turks seized control of the Ottoman Empire in a 1908 revolution. The Young Turks decided to join the Great War on the side of the Central Powers, as it seemed Germany would win the conflict. The Turks feared Russia, one of the Allied Powers. Russia lay to the northeast across the Black Sea and wanted access to what the Russians called a “warm water port.” The Russians had ports on the Black Sea but no guaranteed access to the Mediterranean Sea, since the Ottoman Empire controlled the narrow Turkish Straits that connected the two.

Choosing Sides

The Young Turks were also convinced that a victory against Russia would allow the empire to regain land lost to Russia in Central Asia. At the beginning of World War I, Great Britain’s empire included India, east of Mesopotamia. The Young Turks believed their needs would be best met by joining forces against these two rivals.

The Ottoman Empire signed a treaty with Germany in August 1914 and, within weeks, sent troops into battle. The following year, Bulgaria also joined the war on the side of the Central Powers, hoping to gain land from Serbia once the Allies were defeated. At the beginning of the Great War, many observers believed the Central Powers to be the strongest force in Europe and likely to win a swift victory.