War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

196 WARBYREVOLUTION

deposedtheprinceandproclaimeda newrulerandmonarch,Zawditu,

Menilek'sdaughter.Iyasu'senemieschargedhimwithapostasyand

internalsubversion;theleaderoftheAbyssinianChristianchurch

excommunicatedhimas anunbeliever.Tafariplayeda key role inthe

revolution,whichresultedinhisimmediatepromotiontoras(chief-

tain)andhisnominationasheir-apparenttothethroneandregent

totheEmpressZawditu.Thenextday,ThesigerinformedtheFor-

eignOffice,"TheGovernmentisnowinthehandsofthosewhoare

friendlytoourcause."!"

TheAllies,however,hadnotheardthelastofeitherIyasuor his

GermanandTurkishsupporters.ThePorteinformedtheGerman

embassyinConstantinoplethatLijIyasu'soverthrowwashardlyfa-

vorablenews,butboththeGermansandTurksprophesiedthatthe

deposedprinceandhisfather,RasMikail,wouldattemptacounter

revolution.?'Buton 26 Octobertheforcesofthenewregimedefeated

Mikail'sarmyandcapturedthechieftain.Hisson,Iyasu, fled for sanc-

tuaryto hisnativeprovince,Welo,northeastofAddisAbaba.

The Rivalry inSwitzerland

InEuropetheArab revolt,althoughnoticedbythepress,hardlymade
animpression.t"NeutralSwitzerland,however,was an exception.
ThereresidednumerousEgyptianandTurkishexilesopposedtoor
courtedbyonesideortheotherinthehopethattheOrientalscould
beusedtoadvantage.Anglo-Frenchagentsexploitedtherevoltto
distributeanti-Germanpropagandaamongtheexiles. In Geneva,
PrinceSabaheddin,an exiledformerYoungTurkandleaderofaparty
ofliberalTurkishdissidents,claimed-quitefalsely-thathe had
helpedpreparetheArabrebellion. 123
Therevolt,however,changedfewpoliticalattitudesamongthe
expatriatesinSwitzerland.Forexample,theleaderoftheexiled Egyp-
tiannationalists,MuhammadFarid,whoseYoungEgyptpartyde-
mandedthefreeingofEgyptfromforeignrule,remainedalienated
fromtheYoungTurks.ThenationalistsandEgyptianstudentsin
SwitzerlandsuspectedthePorteofintendingtousethewartore-
placeBritainastherulerofEgypt.Similarly,bitterconflicts existed
betweentheYoungEgyptiansandtheTurkishexiles;mostofthe