My third and final FWW Blog Post draws from the 5th Guidepost, “Student distinguishes a variety of perspectives among historical actors participating in a given event” 

The Treaty of Sèvres – a bite at the Middle East?

Intro

As the Paris Peace Conference concluded, there were a number of unsolved issues remaining for both the Allies and the Central Powers. The PPC contributed to the inception of the Treaty of Versailles, a document concerning consequences for the German Empire, who the Big Four deemed a part of the ‘losing side’. The TOV, signed on July 28th 1919 officially ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire would have an extended wait to complete their peace treaties – these documents would be signed in July 1920, November 1919 and August 1920 respectively.

The Ottoman Empire was the last Central Power to sign a peace treaty with the Allied Powers. However, an armistice had been declared on the Eastern Front since October 30th, 1918. Reasons for this delayed ratification included internal tensions within the Empire and a 15-month debate concerning the split of Ottoman territories.

 

General information

Like the Peace Conference of 1919, this treaty was signed in France. The representatives met in an exhibition room in Sèvres, a suburb outside of Paris. The treaty’s signatory delegation included British, French, Italian, Japanese and Czechoslovak diplomats. The United States had established an isolationist stance in early 1920 and Russia was completely excluded from the meeting. Mustafa Ataturk and Alexandre Millerand were notable attendees.

As seen in the PPC, each state represented in the Treaty of Sèvres had its own goal in mind. Below are the most significant objectives set by Allies. It is important to note that the UK, France and Greece had already calculated their strategy regarding the destiny of the Middle East.

United Kingdom: Claiming Palestine, Iraq and controlling oriental oil concessions.

France: Taking Syria, Lebanon, and influencing parts of Anatolia (most of modern-day Turkey)

Greece: Control of Smyrna and Thrace

Each of these prospects would become reality, as the Allies pressed the Ottomans in the same manner as Germany during the PPC. However, unlike Germany, Ottoman leaders refused to sign the document due to its harsh conditions. All Allies present, meanwhile, accepted the terms. A conflict would surface within the Empire’s government between those who wished to ratify and those who rejected the conditions. Eventually, Ataturk would be victorious, forcing the introduction of an alternate document with more lenient conditions.

 

The Treaty of Sevres