Ottoman Military Reforms on the eve of World War I

Abstract

This article examines the Ottoman Military reforms on the eve of World War I. The heavy defeats experienced by the Ottomans during the Balkan Wars provoked an urgent call for military reforms and a “Military Renaissance”. Within a year of these calls being made, the First World War would begin, in early August 1914. First, light will be shed on the military reforms taken in 1913 immediately after the Balkan Wars and the official request for a German military mission. Second, the organization of the Ottoman military in 1914 and the last reforms undertaken before the war began will be examined. The Ottoman recruitment system would be updated by means of a new law for military service in May 1914. After the declaration of Ottoman general mobilization on 2 August 1914, additional changes were introduced to counter the recurrent lack of manpower