Nevertheless,thingswerequitedifferentregardingtheOttomanpoliticalsystem.
In 1908 theOttomanstatehadreintroducedtheconstitutionalmonarchy.Inthe
multiethnicempire,thissystemstilllackedacceptanceandwasnotacommon
practiceamongtheOttomanpoliticalleadership.TheOttomanmilitaryattaché
toParis,AliFethi[Okyar],hadfollowedthesessionsoftheFrenchnationalas-
semblywithgreatinterest.Uponhisreturn,theOttomanmilitaryattachésaw
thingsclearerandhadtoadmitthatthecontemporaryOttomanpoliticalelite
lackedqualifiedmenthatwereabletoleadthecountry.¹⁷⁹FromtheGermandip-
lomaticview,thiswasseensimilarly,butalwayswithananti-parliamentaryun-
dertone.Duetoitsmultiethniccomposition,theGermanambassadorratedthe
parliamentary system asunsuitablefortheOttoman Empire.Theabsolutist
ruleofAbdülhamidhadnotbroughtthepeopleclosertopoliticalmaturity.Com-
paringtheFrenchmodelfavouredbytheYoungTurks,henoted:
“Herearepublic,thereamonarchyboundtothecaliphate.InFrance,ahomogeneousna-
tionalitywithaverydistinctpatrioticfeeling.InTurkey,amingle-mangleofnationalities
[Völkerschaften],whoarefightingeachotherandthereforeareunabletocometogether
foracommonpoliticalidea.[...]Theexistingsituation[...]opensthefloodgatestoa
coupd’état.”¹⁸⁰ForambassadorMetternich,thesystemofshort-livedgovernmentswasanestab-
lishedtraditioninFrance,whereastheOttomanpoliticalfractionshadtolearn
therulesofthegameunderforeignpressure.ThismadetheministerofwarMah-
mudŞevkettheperfectcastforthispoliticalsituation:
“Heisusedtotalktothechamberinthetoneofmilitarycommandos.Anybacktalkisim-
possiblethere.[...]Atthemomentthereisonlyoneauthorityinthisempire:Thisisthe
army.Withoutittoday,TurkeywouldbereadytofallpreytothefateofPersia.”¹⁸¹ManyGermanofficersintheWilhemineerahaddisrespectfortheReichstagas-
sembly.ColmarvonderGoltz,themostprominentfigureoftheGerman-Ottoman
relations,hadnothingbutdisgustfortheparliamentarysystem.¹⁸²AnOttoman
officertrainedandsocializedintheGermanmilitaryenvironmenthadtobefa-
FethiOkyar,ÜçDevir’deBirAdamAManinThreeEras, 124 ,1 46.
AmbassadortoAA,“Parlament,MinisterkrisenundallgemeineLageinderTürkei,” 13 May
1911 ,7 4 – 75 ,77.AA-PAR 13797.
AA-PAR 13797 ,82, 93 .TheGermanMinisterofWar,ErichFalkenhayn,fosteredasimilar
voicetone,seethesessionontheZabernaffairinReichstagsprotokollefrom3December 1913 ,
vol. 14 ,9,6 158 – 6161.
Krethlow,GeneralfeldmarschallGoltz,1 31 ,3 87.
TheFrenchversustheGermanWayofWar,1 908 – 1914 67