Railway expansion was the great industrial project of the late 19th century, and the great powers built railways at speed and reaped great. Germany had sought strong economic ties with the ottomans as a way to develop potentially vast new markets for exporting german industrial goods. Thinking much like any railroad monopolist, wilhelm wants direct german access to the orient, bypassing the suez canal by way of turkey, but passing through serbia. The line runs from istanbul, turkey, to basra, iraq. Running through mcmeekins narrative is the story of that halfmad imperial enterprise, namely, the berlintobaghdad railway. The ottoman empire and for free in a convenient format epub, pdf, fb2, mobi. Berlin to baghdad railway, 1930s film 99504 youtube.
The importance of the berlin baghdad and hejaz railways for germany. The centrepiece of this endeavour was the famous berlinbaghdad railway, designed to connect the german capital with the ottoman provinces in. The ottoman empire and germanys bid for world power, 18981918 by sean mcmeekin. In the following years, the baghdad railway attracted an increasing number of. A map showing the route of the berlinbaghdad railway. The berlintobagdad railway and how it led to the great war. Murat ozyuksel shows how the berlinbaghdad railway became a symbol of both rising european power and declining ottoman fortunes. The berlin baghdad railway and the outbreak of world war. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the baghdad railway embodied germanys abortive attempt at creating a sphere of influence in the muslim middle east by establishing a rail connection between its eastern european hinterland and the persian gulf, regarded by the british as a major defence outpost for their indian colony.
The bagdad line, as foreshadowed in the concession of 1893 to the german anatolian railway company, was to be a continuation of the angora branch, of the anatolian railway, through armenia, entering the euphrates valley from the north and avoiding much expensive mountain tunneling and grading. The records of the government of india on the berlin baghdad railway question volume 5 issue 1 ravinder kumar. The ottoman empire and germanys bid for world power. The baghdad railway was a project grand in conception and sweeping in scope. As we have seen, germanys connection to this crisis is unexpectedly profound but it is also entirely literala chain of buildings, rails, and human drama linking berlin and baghdad and all points between.
The berlinbaghdad railway as a cause of world war i. The author concentrates on the role and construction of the berlinbaghdad railway project that was designed to allow germany to penetrate the middle east. From the perspective of berlin, the railway was a way to bypass the suez canal. Media of the berlinbaghdad railway and the ottoman empire. History and photos of the berlin to baghdad project its in german, but. The baghdad railway, also known as the berlin baghdad railway turkish.
The jubilant mood at railway stations like that in munich are precious yet fragile. Baghdad railway article about baghdad railway by the. Pdf the impact of baghdadberlin railway on britains nautical. A railway that connected the ottoman city of baghdad to the european city of berlin.
British documents on the origins of the war 1898 1914 the. The berlinbaghdad railway and its peaceful effects on preworld war i anglogerman relations showing 14 of 102 pages in this thesis. Completion of the baghdad railway would have connected berlin and baghdad, from where the germans attempted to establish a port at the persian gulf. He became a prisoner of war in turkey and had to work. The impact of baghdadberlin railway on britains nautical and commercial interests in iraqs rivers. Baghdad railway, railroad of international importance linking europe with asia minor and the middle east. In 1889, a group of german industrialists and bankers, led by deutsche bank, secured a concession from the ottoman government to build a railway through anatolia. Sultan abdul hamid favored germany because of its lack of a long imperial tradition and its geographic distance from the ottoman empire.
This in turn could provide direct access to middle east oil, and the new german railway. The baghdad railway, also known as the berlinbaghdad railway was built from 1903 to 1940 to connect berlin with the then ottoman empire city of baghdad. The berlinbaghdad express, by sean mcmeekin the independent. When completed, the railway would integrate the german and ottoman empires and counter the power of their respective rivals, britain and russia. The berlinbaghdad railway and the ottoman empire bloomsbury. The sykespicot agreement of 1916 mentions railways in what is now iraq and its neighbours. Pdf the impact of baghdadberlin railway on britains. That means each of baghdads 7,216,040 residents has an average of 1. Funding and engineering was mainly provided by german empire banks and companies, which in the 1890s had built the anatolian railway anatolische eisenbahn connecting istanbul, ankara and konya. The berlintobaghdad railway is meant to be the imperial backbone of the german mitteleuropa project, a proposed new economic rearrangement of the world that has emerged as a primary german war aim. Pdf the importance of the berlinbaghdad and hejaz railways for. Us marines in iraq, 2003 basrah, baghdad and marines. Work on the first phase of the railway, which involved an extension of an existing line between haidar pasha and ismid to ankara, was begun in 1888 by the ottoman empire with german financial assistance. The berlinbaghdad express by sean mcmeekin, 9780141047652, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The ottoman emperor, abdul hamid ii, meanwhile, saw the railway as a means to bolster crumbling ottoman control of arabia. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. The berlin baghdad express available for download and read online in other formats. The importance of the berlinbaghdad and hejaz railways for germany.
The records of the government of india on the berlin. Text is available under the creative commons attributionsharealike license. Spurned by a handful of german agents in world war i this group sought to bring about a global jihad from north africa to afghanistan. At first a modest effort in northeastern anatolia, it soon captured the enthusiasm of important men in german and austrian financial, industrial, and political circles. Berlinbaghdad railway, financed by a consortium under the leadership of deutsche bank. The berlinbaghdad railway would have linked germany with her new african colonies, and the trade of goods and agricultural products would benefit from a port on the persian gulf. All along, the story is interwoven with the drama surrounding german efforts to complete the berlin to baghdad railway, the weapon designed to win the war and assure german hegemony.
Baghdad railway, eastern question, turkey economic conditions 19181960 publisher. German technological knowhow and ottoman raw commodities seemed to result in the perfect marriage 37. This study focuses on the geopolitical situation in the wider east mediterranean region at the dawn of the 20 th century, based on the analysis of a major infrastructure project, the baghdad railway. Media in category baghdad railway station the following 9 files are in this category, out of 9 total. The concession for the berlinbaghdad railroad gave germany its best. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Of the various issues which confronted europe at the outbreak of the war in 1914, some thought the bagdad railway was the largest single contributing factor. The berlinbaghdad railway and the ottoman empire by murat.
The construction of a railway line from berlin to baghdad was a cornerstone of germanys grab for world power in the years leading up to the first world war. Was mainly funded by the germans, and wasnt finished in time for wwi. Traditionally dependent on flourmilling and brickyards, the province expanded with the building of a railway workshops in 1894 for work on the berlinbaghdad railway. In 1903 imperial germany, under kaiser wilhelm ii, began to construct a railway which would connect berlin to the ottoman city of baghdad, and project german power all the way to the persian gulf. Before world war one, when suzeranity in the near east was a game played by europes empires, imperial germany launched a gambit. Posts about berlinbaghdad railway written by petercrawford2011. A map showing the route of the berlinbaghdad railway, june 19. Baghdad railway, major rail line connecting istanbul with the persian gulf region. The berlinbaghdad express tells the history of the orient express being built and how this transformed into a german bid to launch a pan arab jihad under the caphalite of the ottoman empire in constantinople.
Eskisehir was also the site of turkeys first aviation industry aeronautical supply maintenance center and its air base was the command center of turkeys first tactical air force headquarters on natos southern flank during. And, when you need to get home there are 19 bus and tram stops, and subway and railway stations in baghdad. Pdf the berlin baghdad railway and the ottoman empire. This page was last edited on 5 october 2017, at 00. The berlintobagdad railway and how it led to the great war somerwil, katie ayrton on. The railway was funded and built by the german empire, with the cooperation of the ottoman empire, to link berlin with the ottoman empire city of baghdad with a railway line passing through what are now turkey, syria and iraq. In other languages this page was last edited on 12 march 2018, at 01. Pdf the berlin baghdad express download full pdf book. In 1892 germany made the triple alliance with austriahungary and italy, thus creating a centred territorial bloc in europe. History of the baghdad railway, on the comprehensive trains of turkey website. Download pdf save cite this item table of contents. When completed, the railway would integrate the german and ottoman empires and counter the. Baghdad central station in 2005 photo by mark hemphill commuter rail trains running in baghdad to relieve traffic jams.
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