The centenary of the Ottoman entry into the First World War

It was 100 years ago today that two Russian ports were bombarded by ships of the Imperial Ottoman Navy under a German commander Today marks the centenary of the Ottoman Empire’s official entry into World War I. It was today, 100 years ago, that the Russian ports of Sevastopol and Odessa were bombarded by ships of the Imperial Ottoman Navy, under the command of Admiral Wilhelm Souchon. This episode marked the first engagement in World War I by the Ottoman Empire, and remarkably it was carried out without the authorization or knowledge of Parliament, the Cabinet or even the Palace.

A few days later, on Nov. 1, 1914, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire, followed by her Allies of the Triple Entente, Britain and France, on Nov. 5, 1914. The war would ultimately lead to the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire, the abolition of both the Ottoman sultanate and caliphate and the subsequent exile of the imperial family. It would lead to the creation of the Turkish Republic and to the divided and troubled Middle East that exists today. It would also lead to a tragic number of deaths among the Ottoman civilian population, along with the deaths of over three quarters of a million Ottoman soldiers and a similar number of Ottoman military wounded. Was war inevitable? Could the empire have remained neutral, or at the very least a non-belligerent nation?

Did Britain and France provoke and manipulate the Empire into war by requisitioning the Empire’s new battleships and refusing to discuss an alliance with all Ottoman diplomats during the summer of 1914?

ADMIRAL WILHELM SOUCHON Did the Ottoman government feel that it had to act decisively before being attacked first by Russia, or even by Britain or France? Did Germany...