Imperial Predator: Britain and the Destruction of Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire didn’t just dissolve—it was destroyed. This revealing new history exposes Britain’s central role in tearing it apart. The Ottoman Empire didn’t just dissolve—it was destroyed. This revealing new history exposes Britain’s central role in tearing it apart. ‘A compelling account of Britain’s ruthless role in the chaotic break-up of the Ottoman Empire that turned the Middle East into an arena for endless wars.’ — Patrick Cockburn, Foreign Correspondent, The Independent Britain’s plunder of the Ottoman Empire is one of history’s great land grabs. In 1876, the Ottomans controlled territory as large as contemporary China. By 1923, nine-tenths of this grand heritage was gone, half now under British control. From the ‘civilising mission’ of Lord Salisbury to the Sykes-Picot Agreement, this is the riveting story of Britain’s systematic destruction of the Ottoman Empire. Nineteenth-century diplomacy was brutal, with treaties ignored and promises elided. The Ottomans sought to balance between the European powers, but Britain had a navy second to none and admirals no less impetuous than Nelson. Allying itself with Russia in 1914, Britain spurned the Young Turks, driving them into the German camp—thereby expanding World War One into Asia and increasing British costs by half. Although the Ottomans resisted more fiercely than often recorded, their fateful wartime defeat would taint the future of the whole Middle East. Drawing on the latest archival research, David S. Tonge shows that the end of the Ottomans was far more than a collapse: it was imperial asset-stripping by a predator at the top of its game. Written into the memory of every Turk and Arab, this history forged today’s world. For readers who want to understand the British history in the former Ottoman Empire In a close analysis of brutal 19thc diplomacy, this book highlights Britain’s great land grab when plundering the Ottoman Empire We are still living with the repercussions of the British in this region