Pragmatism and expediency: Ottoman calculations and the establishment of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68378009%3A_____%2F20%3A00537180" target="_blank" >RIV/68378009:_____/20:00537180 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23761199.2020.1712903" target="_blank" >http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23761199.2020.1712903</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23761199.2020.1712903" target="_blank" >10.1080/23761199.2020.1712903</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Pragmatism and expediency: Ottoman calculations and the establishment of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic

Original language description

This article interrogates Ottoman sources from the period leading up to and following the creation, in 1918, of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR) to shed light on the reasons behind Istanbul’s initial backing for this Caucasian state. Despite the suggestion that Ottoman Unionist policies were informed by pan-Turkist ideals, it emerges that Istanbul considered, first and foremost, the geopolitical interests of the Empire. Whether this entailed using foreign Muslims to control a strategic area or favouring the creation of a political entity that was not considered fully feasible, Ottoman self-interest was paramount. Controlling the Caucasus, limiting German, British and Russian influence, and re-gaining lost territory were the only considerations that guided Ottoman policies. This explains Ottoman ambivalence in supporting the emergence of the TDFR, as well as Ottoman willingness to pursue further territorial claims which undermined the very existence of the TDFR itself. The conclusions reached in this article have significance for the larger understanding of Ottoman policy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as too often pan-Turkism and pan-Islamism are used to explain the policies of Istanbul, while the Ottoman political elite was more usually guided by pragmatic considerations.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_ost - Miscellaneous article in a specialist periodical

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60101 - History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings)

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2020

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Caucasus Survey

ISSN

2376-1202

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

8

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

45-58

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85079372041