Syria in World War I: Politics, Economy, and Society

Description

The First World War quickly escalated from a European war into a global conflict that would cause fundamental changes in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Its end signalled the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, which had controlled most of the Arab Middle East. Over the wartime period, millions of people across the Empire died as a result of warfare, epidemics, famines and massacres. However, for the Ottoman leaders their entry into the war was not just a response to a life-or-death struggle, but rather presented them with an opportunity to transform the empire into a new type of state. Syria in World War I brings together leading scholars working with original Turkish, Arabic, Armenian and German sources, to present a comprehensive examination of this key period in Syria's history. Together, the chapters demonstrate how the war represented a radical break from the past for the Syrian lands, which underwent crucial political, economic, social and cultural transformations. It contextualises various facets of the then Unionist ruler of Syria, Djemal Pasha, as well as exploring the impact of the Ottoman leaders' divergent policies on the Syrian lands and people, which would undergo a series of political, economic and ecological catastrophes whose traces are still evident in the region's collective memory. Introducing a significant body of new information and considerably expanding the parameters of current debates, Syria in World War I is of key interest to students and scholars of Middle East History, as well as History of the Late Ottoman Empire and World War I History. Syria in World War I- Front Cover Syria in World War I Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Contributors Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction The scope of the volume Overview of the chapters Notes References Chapter 1: Myth of the Unionist triumvirate: The formation of the CUP factions and their impact in Syria during the Great War “Preparation for a revolution”: from cultural evolution to revolutionary activism The formation of civil and military factions after the 1908 Revolution The third faction: Djemal Pasha and his group Factional struggles in Syria during Djemal Pasha’s rule Conclusion Notes References Chapter 2: Muhammad Kurd Ali and the Syrian-Palestinian intelligentsia in the Ottoman campaign against Arab separatism A Syrian-Palestinian expedition The new Salah al-Din Muhammad Kurd Ali and the Ottoman Commonwealth A new Ottoman nation, both oriental and occidental “Turkification of Arabs, Arabization of Turks” Syrian interest in defending Gallipoli The Islamic bond The Hijazi Expedition: in defense of Osmanlılık The Palestinian episode: conqueror vs. reformer Conclusion: the Syrian and Hijazi expeditions in retrospect Notes References Chapter 3: A propaganda tour organized by Djemal Pasha TheArab literati’s visit to the Gallipoli front, 18–23 October 1915 British war propaganda on the Palestinian front Inbuilt skepticism of the CUP bureaucracy: beware!Arabs are coming! The Syrian literati go to Istanbul Syrian literati at Gallipoli: account of Uryanizade Ali Vahid Effendi “Undesirable” Arab soldiers of the “Aleppo Division” of Colonel Mustafa Kemal The Syrian literati visit Colonel Mustafa Kemal’s “Aleppo Division” A very cruel joke on Asad al-Shukairi and his friends Propaganda tour of the Syrian literati: a mission impossible Notes References Chapter 4: “We will treat you like the Armenians”: Djemal Pasha, Zionism, and the evacuation of Jaffa, April 1917 Djemal Pasha and Zionism The evacuation of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, April 1917 The creation of a myth Conclusion Notes References and bibliography Chapter 5: The Ottoman government and the Zionist movement during the first months of World War I Ottoman views on the Zionist movement in 1914 Bahaeddin Bey at Jaffa 17 December 1914 Conclusion Notes References Chapter 6: Fragments of wartime memories from Syria and Lebanon Zajal and poetry: “Every verse is an ambassador” Anecdotes and apocryphal stories Familial fragments of memory Families and communities Conclusion: “To remember those things we never knew?” Notes References Chapter 7: Economy, environment, and famine: World War I from the perspective of the Syrian interior 1914-1915: Panic in Beirut, a bountiful harvest in Aleppo, and price inflation in Damascus 1916: Increasing grain scarcity, inflation, and investments in agriculture 1917: New strategies, drought, and an agricultural bank scandal 1918: A tax collection crisis and preparations for retreat Conclusion Notes References Chapter 8: Shukru Bey and the Armenian deportations in the fall of 1915 Eskishehir Konia Ereghli Ulukishla The manual of 10 September 1915 Aleppo The manual of 7 October 1915 The implementation Disease control Urfa district The Zor route Halting deportations Ismail Djanbolad Bey The Aleppo conference New negotiations The Amanus Conclusion Notes References Index