"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. مجلد I" [ظ‎‎٢‎٩] (٤٥٤/٦٣)

38
HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
material assistance towards the regeneration of the country;
British criticism of Turkish methods and British policy as
regards Crete, Egypt and Persia combined to lower our influence;
the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907 had alienated the
sympathies of many elements in Turkey ; the idea that Great
Britain distrusted the movement on the part of Turkey to
enter into more direct and intimate relations with their co
religionists in Egypt, Persia and India ; and our attitude with
regard to the Persian Gulf and to the Shaikhs of Mohammerah
and Kuwait all helped to lessen confidence in us. Germany,
on the other hand, gained influence. She allowed no unfavour
able public comment on Turkish affairs ; she gained power in
the army ;* she sold Turkey two naval cruisers after Great
Britain and France had refused to do so ; she assisted Turkey
by a loan of money which had also been refused by Great Britain
and France ; and she was not suspected of any ambition to
occupy any Turkish province. Politics were now crystallising
into a struggle between the moderate party, who favoured
intimate relations with Great Britain and France, and the
extremist section, whose main attention was directed to army
reform and who, depending on Neo-Pan-Islamism for its
policy, leant towards Germany.f
In Mesopotamia the Turkish authorities took practically no
preventive measures to deal with the prevailing disturbances,
but both the Valis of Baghdad and Basra by their actions
showed their determination to strike at British interests and
prestige both in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf.
From 1911 onwards the guiding influence of the Committee
of Union and Progress became more and more apparent and
culminated in the coup d'ttat of 1913, which, led by Enver Bey
and Talaat Bey, caused the downfall of the Cabinet, ostensibly
on the ground that they were making an ignominious peace
with the Balkan powers. The Government had not been
successful, either internally or externally; they had not
carried out any real internal reforms ; the wars with Italy
and the Balkan Powers had lowered Turkish prestige and
* The continually increasing number of Turkish officers who returned after
attachment to the German army had a widespread and important influence
on Turkish opinion.
f The German Ambassador at Constantinople from 1897 till 1912 was
Baron Marschall von Bieberstein; and in the circumstances his country could
have had no more effective representative. Possessing a most impressive
personality, his character and ability enabled him to wield a greater influence
in Turkey than any other foreign Ambassador. It was due to him that after
the revolution of 1908 German influence in Turkey, which had seemed to
have been destroyed, was so quickly re-established.