The Decline of the Ottoman Empire and The Rise of the Turkish Republic

Examines Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol’s diplomatic correspondence at a critical moment in Ottoman and Turkish history

• Documents the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, as portrayed by an American diplomat
• Analyses Bristol’s views on the internal affairs of modern Turkey
• Provides alternative views on the inter-communal tensions in post-World War I Anatolia
• Based on tens of thousands of primary documents from US and Turkish archives, private letters and memoirs

In the immediate aftermath of World War I, Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol was US High Commissioner in the Ottoman Empire and later the Turkish Republic (1919–27). In reporting and examining Bristol’s official correspondence to the State Department, Hakan Özoğlu paints an alternative picture of Turkey and the transition period from empire to nation state.

A key diplomat, Admiral Bristol’s observations and recommendations helped to shape US foreign policy in the Ottoman Empire, out of which the modern Middle East emerged. His actions also laid the foundations of the strategic partnership between Turkey and the US, from the Cold War years through to the 21st century.