The Foreign Policy Approach of The Committee of Union and Progress Governments (1913-1918)

Abstract

During the second constitutional period, which began with their instatement of the Kanun-ı Esasi (Constitution), the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), initially preferred a "supervisory" role that manifested as external guidance. However, during the terms of Sait Halim Pasha and Talat Pasha as prime ministers, the CUP assumed direct control of the government, leading to this period being referred to as the "CUP government" era. The political philosophy underlying the committee’s founding reflected a modern, secular, and nationalistic approach aimed at achieving economic and political independence. This philosophy provided the basis for the foreign policy pursued during this period.

Through out the CUP governments’ tenure, the prevailing imperialist mindset in international politics and the resulting process of the Great War had a significant impact on the course of diplomatic relations, both bilaterally and in the form of alliances, including the pre-war period. The CUP, discontent with the interference of the Great Powers in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire through various means and desiring to minimize it, moved away from its founding philosophy, particularly during periods of direct control, and sought support without engaging in a differentiation with the Great Powers. During their time in power, they opted for a foreign policy approach characterized by determination and military activism.

In contrast to the passive equilibrium policy pursued during the reign of Abdulhamid II, the CUP became representatives of an active and resolute diplomatic quest. It should be noted that these approaches were shaped by the necessities arising from the process starting with the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War and continuing with the Tripolitanian and Balkan Wars, which ultimately led to the confinement of the country’s borders to the Anatolian region. Aware that the Great Powers, who had fallen behind economically in the post-global colonialism period, would not allow the existence of an economically and potentially politically independent Turkish state in line with their own national interests, the CUP conducted a foreign policy with the meticulousness and determination of diplomatic chess, where the traces of their ideological inclinations could be seen in every move. The sources for this study predominantly comprise copyrighted scholarly works and The British National Archival Records.