'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎30r] (64/454)

BRITISH PRE-WAR POLICY
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deprived her of territory ; and their foreign policy had pleased
no European Power. Curiously enough, while Germany
incurred a considerable loss of prestige owing to the failure of
the German trained and equipped Turkish armies and to her
own failure to give more material assistance to Turkey against
Italy and the Balkans, she actually increased her activities
politically and commercially during this period. She realised
that the methods of the Committee of Union and Progress
were the same as those of Abdul Hamid, and she utilised this
knowledge to gain ground and to become a power behind the
Government as the friend and supporter of the Committee.
As the Germans lost ground with the Turks, many of the latter
turned their thoughts to obtaining assistance from Great
Britain and, though the conduct of the Turkish Government
towards Great Britain had not been marked by any great
friendliness, our unsympathetic attitude after the Balkan
reverses was much felt. The situation disclosed the fact,
however, that the country as a whole had still strong sympathies
towards us and we were able in consequence to carry through
the successful negotiations of 1912-1914 which have been
alluded to in the last chapter.
Enver Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. became Minister of War in December 1913 and
from the outbreak of war was our main opponent in the Turkish
Government. Though his influence as one of the secret group
which governed Turkey after the revolution of 1908 was great,
he was content to remain in the background till 1913. Quiet
and reserved, he was a man of capacity and great energy,
daring to an unusual degree, but unscrupulous and vain. About
35 years of age in 1913, small and attractive in appearance and
married to a Princess of the Imperial Family he was stated
to have had the ambition of becoming a second Napoleon,
whom he considers that he resembles and for whom he has a
great admiration. Though without private means, he lived in
a palace on a lavish scale and was always attended in public by
four or five General officers and Aides-de-Camp. His sympa
thies, education and methods were German and his residence in
Berlin as military attache had a strong influence on his character
and career. There are good reasons to believe that, before
the war, he was subventioned by the German Government.
He was the first Minister for War in Turkey who had the courage
to make a clean sweep of inefficients in the Ministry and he
showed considerable activity in introducing administrative
reforms. In 1913-1914 he was a man to be counted upon and
likely to make his mark.