Outbreak of War in the Middle East

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Outbreak of War in the Middle East

• Largely built with German capital, the Berlin to
  Bagdad Railway has further opened up the Middle
  East to European influence
• Railroad helps Germans influence area
• Problem with part of railroad that runs through
  enemy Serbia doesnt contribute to the outbreak
  of war, but explains why defeating Serbia becomes
  central to Germans

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The Ottoman Empire in 1914
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Germans Get Ships to the Ottoman Empire to
Solidify Connections
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Britains Plans to Conquer the Middle East

• Britain aims to control Mesopotamia
• Britain aims to control Persian gulf axis to
  known Middle Eastern Oil

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British Attack on the Dardanelles
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Gallipoli

• After mines destroyed multiple ships, Entente
  forces thought they would easily take peninsula
• They quickly got bogged down in the ragged,
  drought-ridden terrain
• Two main battlegrounds Cap Helles, and Anzac
  Cove, named for the large number of soldiers from
  Australia and New Zealand
• Mustafa Kemal later Attaturk, rallies Turkish
  forces

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Gallipoli
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The Broader Attack on the Ottoman Empire

• The Arabian Peninsula, esp. the Hejaz, Palestine,
  and Damascus becomes key to the Arab Revolt
• Much of Nejd is dessert

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British War Plans in 1915
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Further Plans for the Ottoman Empire
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Turkey and the Armenians
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British Designs on Mesopotamia

• Using Indian soldiers, British fail to take
  Bagdad but gain crucial territory
• Weakness of Russia shown in Russian inability to
  assist Britain