Imperial Predator

Description

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.

Reviews

‘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

‘An engaging, clear and sweeping diplomatic history of British imperialism in the Ottoman Eastern Mediterranean.’ — M. Şükrü Hanioğlu, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University

‘Highly engaging, vivid and well substantiated, Imperial Predator is carefully researched and thoughtfully composed. Tonge draws upon an impressive range of sources to assemble a nuanced and intricate account of British policymaking.’ — Mustafa Aksakal, Associate Professor of History and Nesuhi Ertegün Chair of Modern Turkish Studies, Georgetown University

‘An ambitious and strongly argued synthesis, which usefully incorporates the results of much recent research. It deserves serious attention and will doubtless stimulate debate.’ — Feroze Yasamee, University of Manchester

‘A well-documented, elegantly written assessment of British imperial politics leading to the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire and remapping of the Middle East. Vital reading for anyone interested in the region’s complexities and making of modern Turkey.’ — Gul Tokay, Visiting Professor of Diplomatic History, Richmond American University London

‘The tragic tale of the transformation of a three-hundred-year relationship into something shamefully close to the assassination of a friend.’ — Barnaby Rogerson, author of The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East and The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography

Author(s)

David S. Tonge has lived half of his life in Turkey. A scholar of Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, he reported from Ankara and Athens for the BBC, The Guardian and The Observer, then from London as the Financial Times’ diplomatic correspondent. The author of Imperial Predator and The Enduring Hold of Islam in Turkey (both published by Hurst); and The Kremlin’s Confidant, he grows citrus and olives.