The Young Turk Period, 1908-1918 - PSI424

312 The Rise of Modern Turkey, 1808-1975
fictitious sale, being given the names Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli, with the
squadron commander, Admiral Souchon, becoming commander of the Ottoman
Black Sea fleet while his sailors were given fezzes and Ottoman uniforms and
enlisted into the sultan's navy. 144 Most members of the cabinet continued to oppose
entry into the war at least until the desired safeguards had been secured. Enver and
Cemal advocated policies that would bring the empire into war on Germany's side,
while Talat mediated between the two groups. Germany by now was anxious for
the Ottomans to enter, proposing attacks into the Crimea or around the Black Sea
against Odessa and toward the Suez Canal to divert the Russians and the British.
Britain and Russia however began to encourage Ottoman neutrality and started
negotiations to provide the long-desired guarantees of Ottoman independence and
territorial integrity, even offering concessions regarding the Capitulations if only
the Porte stayed out. 145 The relative stalemate that emerged on the western front
and Russian victories in the east further strengthened the Ottoman advocates of
peace and hindered Enver.
Enver and his allies therefore sought out and pushed through more provocations
to force the Western allies to declare war on the Ottoman Empire. On September 7
the Capitulations were abolished, inflicting a major blow on the economic interests
of the Entente powers in particular. 146 On September 14 Cemal, as minister of the
navy, authorized Admiral Souchon to take his ships into the Black Sea and attack
any Russian ships or bases he might encounter in the name of the Ottoman government,
thus most certainly providing the desired war provocation, but this was
countermanded by the cabinet. 147 On October 1 the Ottoman customs duties, traditionally
controlled by the powers through the Capitulations, were unilaterally increased
by 4 percent. The foreign post offices in the empire, including those of
Germany, were closed and taken over. Foreigners in the empire were made subject
to Ottoman laws and the Ottoman courts. 148 Enver personally ordered the
Dardanelles and the Bosporus closed to foreign ships to prevent the Entente from
intervening. 149 On October 11 the German ambassador secretly promised delivery
of 2 billion kurus, of gold to the Ottoman government if war was declared, 150 and
arrival of the gold on October 21 cleared the way for action. Enver and Cemal
again gave Souchon authority to attack the Russians in the Black Sea to force a
war declaration without consulting the remainder of the cabinet. On October 29
Souchon bombarded the Russian coast and destroyed several Russian ships. Sait
Halim and Cavit were furious and got Enver to send a cease-fire order to Souchon
as well as apologies to the Entente governments. 151 But it was too late. Enver's
apologies included claims that the incidents had in fact been provoked by the
Russian Black Sea fleet. On November 2 Russia replied with a war declaration on
the Ottoman Empire. Britain and France followed three days later. Britain proclaimed
the annexation of Cyprus and, soon afterward (December 18), the independence
of Egypt under British protection. Khedive Abbas Hilmi, who was then
visiting the sultain in Istanbul, was replaced with Huseyin Kamil Pa§a, son of the
old khedive, Ismail. Already on November 11 the sultan had replied with the
Ottoman war declaration, using his claim to be caliph to add a proclamation of
Holy War against the Entente and asking all Muslims, particularly those in the
British and Russian possessions, to join in the campaign against the infidel. Interest
payments on all the public debt bonds held by investors of the enemy nations were
suspended also, thus relieving the Porte of a considerable financial burden, at least
until the war was over, and adding one more crack to the crumbling order of
European society (December 17, 1914). 152