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The Main Causes That Led to Ottoman Empire Collapse After The First World War
[edit]There were some countries collapsed after World War One had finished. One of the biggest empires, which could struggle for remaining for many years by the name of Ottoman Empire, was collapsed after the First World War. The struggle that Ottoman Empire had to stay in the world strongly was with Mughal Empire in the far east of Asia and the Safavid Empire in the center of the Asia. Ottoman Empire had many conflicts with the Safavid Empire at the beginning of its occurring in the region. Also, it was the last Muslim empire that occurred in the world. Likewise, Ottoman Empire in the 17th century was in a one of the top period of its time whereas it had controlled many Arab states and called Arab provinces. Also, its remaining was succeeded in the region after the 16th century till the end of the First World War. World War One was very bad circumstance for the Ottoman Empire since the light of its remaining was dimmed. However, there were many reasons that led the Empire to collapse but the main causes that led to Ottoman Empire falls after the First World War were lack of military equipment, financial downturn and the Sykes–Picot Agreement. This essay will argue that the three main reasons for Ottoman’s collapse was the lack of military equipment, financial downturn and the Sykes-Picot Agreement also there are three paragraphs to strengthen the argument.
Generally, any country in the world has to have good military equipment or army in order to protect itself from the external threats. Ottoman Empire as an Asian empire which could occupy many countries in the Asia and could run them very successfully had wanted to change its style of the nation. Ottoman Empire wanted to change its elegance to European style after the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, which was very bad decision for Ottoman Empire. “Fromkin is right to believe that today's political turmoil in the Arab Middle East is the consequence of the French- British agreements of 1920-22, but his view that the Middle East may need centuries to assimilate the European type of nation-state organization imposed upon it is hardly acceptable”1. Also, another reason that led Ottoman armies to fade and become worse was Enver Pasha. Enver Pasha as an eastern campaign launcher in the Ottoman armies was a reason to ease Ottoman armies. After Enver had tasted some successes with Russia in the winter of the 1915, but then his army was declined and it was a very big problem for the Ottoman Campaign in the east and for the whole empire generally. “Although Enver experienced some early success, he exposed his troops to such an irresponsible high casualty rate that was left of his army was in no condition to resist a Russian counterattack”2. Another bad circumstance for the Ottoman armies was the Armenian problem with the Ottomans. There was a long time ago that there was a conflict between the Armenians and the Turks in the region before the made of the modern Turkey. Ottomans wanted to end the Armenian problem and it was cause to death of thousands of its men and it was a disaster for the Ottoman army generally. Back to the reforming period of the Ottoman Empire and they wanted to reform in the military part of the empire as well. For occurring and concentrating the military origins, they had sent some officers to Europe for learning and taking some school courses of the army. “Reform in the military came largely in the guise of technical schools and military academies for training new officers”3. Europeanizing military by the Ottoman leaders before the First World War in the 19th century had made Ottoman Empire military to only rely on the European countries which had its own drawbacks on Ottoman military in the World War One. Moreover, once Ottoman begun conflicts with the European industrialized countries, the weaknesses of the Ottoman military had occurred because there were no more alliance between the European countries and the Ottoman Empire.
As it is crystal clear, that Ottoman Empire was one the biggest empire in the world and lasted for many centuries as same as the other big empires. The Ottoman Empire had begun fading from the 19th century and one of the main causes of that fading was the financial downturn. Also, there were some reasons for declining the Ottomans economic. The Ottoman had started declining when they had owed too much money from the European countries and they were sunk in too much debt. Furthermore, they had owed that amount money in order to reform their military and administration. Moreover, the European countries had taken advantages of those debts and they raised the repayments in order to fall the Ottoman Empire’s economy. “By the 1870s the Ottomans owed more than 200 million pounds to European banks; the annual repayments on their loans and interest comprised more than half the national revenue”4. On the other hand, another reason that led the Ottoman Empire’s to fall economically was the age of exploration. Moreover, the Ottoman Empire was above the other countries economically such as, Britain and European countries in general. Nevertheless, they had become behind after the age of exploration when exactly some countries around Europe had found another route in order to interact with far Asian countries whereas Ottoman colonies were the only routes for trading between the Asian and European countries before. After that, giving those taxes to Ottomans had got pointless for the reason that they had found another way to trade. “For one thing, the Portuguese circumnavigation around Africa to India had opened a new spice route to Asia”5. Also, the European countries had their own impact on the Ottoman’s economic crisis when they had looked at its territories on the east of Europe and the North African countries. There were many movements occurred in the Ottoman’s regions , which had made many issues for the Ottoman Empire at that time whereas they got a problem at the same time with the other colonial countries. Moreover, some of the countries that were under the Ottoman Empire had got their independencies, which cause a big problem for Ottoman for the reason that they were given Ottoman too much taxes before. Therefore, Ottoman Empire had lost too much tax income from its colonials and it had own effects on the financial downturn of the Ottoman Empire.
Another reason that can be argued for declining the Ottoman Empire is the Sykes-Picot agreement. Sykes-Picot agreement was a secret agreement between the Britain and France for dividing Ottoman Empire’s territories after the First World War. There were many reasons that pushed Ottoman Empire to enter the First World War and then they lost the war. “Fromkin's voluminous book is devoted essentially to a general survey of the background forces, and chiefly of the events of the period 1908-22, which pushed the Ottoman Empire into the war and of the agreements between England and France to divide its lands”6. On the other hand, Kurdish territories were divided as well. The big Kurdistan was divided between four parts for the first time by the Sykes-Picot Agreement and they have not integrated so far. The end of the Ottoman Empire was after the First World War, but they might were able to revive if the Britain and the France would not divide its land. Therefore, it can be said that the Sykes-Picot Agreement was one of the causes that led the empire to decline. Also, some researcher argued that Sykes-Picot Agreement had not influenced on the collapse of the Ottoman Empire because they already lost the war but this is false because the Sykes-Picot Agreement made the Ottoman Empire to more fall.
To conclude, there were many countries distorted after the First World War had ended. Ottoman Empire was a big empire that could tussle for lasting for many decades, was declined after the World War One. The struggle that Ottoman Empire had to outstand in the world toughly was with Safavid Empire in the center of the Asia and Mughal Empire in the east of Asia. Furthermore, it was announced as the final Muslim empire that followed in the world. At the beginning of the arising the Safavid Empire in its east, Ottoman Empire had started conflict with them. While Ottoman Empire had occupied many Arab countries in the 17th centuries, then it can be said that the 17th century is one of the top period of the Ottoman Empire. Also, its residual was succeeding in the region after the 16th century till the end of the World War One. World War one was very bad situation for the Ottoman Empire when its outstanding was declined. However, there were many causes that led the Empire to fall but the main reasons that led to Ottoman Empire declines after the World War One were absence of military equipment, financial decline and the Sykes–Picot Agreement. This essay had argued that absence of military equipment, financial downturn and the Sykes-Picot Agreement were all the main causes of the decline of Ottoman Empire.
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