Author Description
When the first Balkan War broke out in October 1912, few Ottomans anticipated that it would prove to be a watershed moment for the Empire, ending in ignominy, national catastrophe, and the loss of its remaining provinces in the Balkans. Defeat at the hands of an alliance of Balkan powers comprising Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro set the stage for the Balkan Crisis of 1914 and would serve as a prelude to WWI. It was also a moment of deep national trauma and led to bitter soul-searching, giving rise to a so-called 'Culture of Defeat' in which condemnation and criticism flourished in a way seemingly at odds with the reformist debate which followed the Young Turk Revolution of 1908.Eyal Ginio's clear-eyed and rigorously researched book uncovers the different visual and written products of the defeat, published in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Ladino, with the aim of understanding the experience of defeat -- how it was perceived, analyzed and commemorated by different sectors in Ottoman society -- to show that it is key to understanding the actions of the Ottoman political elite during the subsequent World War and the early decades of the Turkish Republic.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how the Ottoman Empire processed the profound national trauma of the Balkan Wars and how this collective experience shaped the political trajectory of the state leading into World War I. Eyal Ginio, a scholar of Ottoman history, utilizes a diverse array of primary sources to analyze the internal soul-searching and public discourse that emerged following the military collapse. The work argues that the resulting 'Culture of Defeat' was not merely a reaction to loss, but a critical framework that influenced the decision-making of the Ottoman elite and the eventual formation of the Turkish Republic.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of visual and written media produced in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, and Ladino.
- Examination of public and elite reactions to the loss of Balkan provinces.
- Exploration of the ideological shift from the 1908 Young Turk Revolution to the post-1912 climate.
- Case studies on the commemoration and political instrumentalization of military failure.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the cultural and political reception of the defeat rather than a detailed military history of the battles themselves.
- It does not provide an exhaustive military analysis of the tactical failures of the Ottoman army.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of Ottoman intellectual history and the social impact of military collapse. Readers frequently note the meticulous use of multi-lingual primary sources, which provides a nuanced view of the empire's diverse societal responses to the crisis.
Page Count:
360
Publication Date:
2016-04-15
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190264039
ISBN-13:
9780190264031
History
Military History
Middle Eastern
Ottoman Empire
Balkan Wars
Political History
Turkey history