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

34 WARBYREVOLUTION

TalaatPasha,aparliamentarydeputyandthegovernment'sminister
oftheinterior."
TheeventsintheBalkans,includingthewarsof1912-1913,par-
ticularlypersuadedtheCUPofthenecessityofstrengtheningboth
Turkishnationalism-especiallyofthepan-Turanianbrand,which
demandedtheextensionofTurkishruleovertheTurkishportions
ofRussiancentralAsia-andpan-Islamism.Thenewleadersatthe
Porteneededmajorchangesiftheonlynon-Turkishelementofany
significance-theArabs-weretoremainwithintheOttomanEm-
pire.>Consequently,althoughthegovernmentcontinuedwiththe
modernizationofthearmy(withtheaid,significantly,oftheGer-
manandBritishmilitarymissionsinConstantinople),theeduca-
tionsystem,andtheeconomy,theyattemptedseveralmeasuresto
placateArabopinion.Theseincludeddecentralizingtheadministra-
tionoftheArabprovinces,permittingtheArabiclanguageinschools
andcertaingovernmentdepartments,andinJune 1913 appointing
an Arab,SaidHalimPasha,asprimeminister(grandvizier).
Anardentpan-Islamist,SaidHalimhelpedfashiona CUP Arab
policythatmadeconcessionstotheSharifofMecca,HusaynibnAli,
andthatwas topreventthelatter'sbreakwiththecommitteeuntil
afterWorldWar Ihadbegun.ThePorteofferedHusayn,inreturn
for hissupportoftheHijazrailroadto Mecca,thelifetimeemirate
(theofficeofcommander,governor,orminorrulerofaprovince)of
theholycity,andtomakeithereditaryin his family.>'Despitethese
concessionstotheArabs,complaintsofdiscriminationagainstthem
continuedandsomeanti-Turkishfeelingspread,particularlyin Syria
andMesopotamia.
TheYoungTurks,inaddition,movedinOctober 1913 tomodern-
izeandimprovetheOttomanarmy.ThatmonththePorteannounced
theappointmentofa newandlargerGermanmilitarymissionto
Constantinople,led byGeneralLimanvonSanders.TheArabresponse
tothemissionisunknown,buttheensuinginternationalcrisis, in
whichtheRussiansbitterlyprotestedthemissionanddemanded
Anglo-Frenchsupportinopposingit,quicklyraisedthefearsofboth
LondonandSt.Petersburg.>
InDecembertheBritishforeignsecretary,Grey,beganaconcerted
efforttostrengthenAnglo-Turkishrelations,replacingtheanti-