Ahmet Riza and Ibrahim Temo believed that the July Crisis was the best way to dethrone the Three Pashas, and seeing Enver turn to Germany alongside Goeben and Breslau going towards Istanbul sent alarm bells ringing their heads. According to تهيپلوتوف۱۳۳۲ Riza and Temo sent telegrams to exiled and underground Ottoman politicians of the democratic opposition. They sent a notice to Mekertich Portukalian in Marseille to gather the European Ottoman exiles, however for some reason Portukalian never received the message. After the war, Portukalian remarked after hearing about the plot that had he received it, he would have likely supported it. With Portukalian bringing the exiles back home, and the underground politicians contacting Mahmud Muhtar Pasha who commanded the 2nd Division near Istanbul who agreed to the ploy, the idea of Riza and Temo was to finally gain the support of Mehmed V. Of course, Portukalian's absence otl dashed the entire ploy, but what if it didn't? What if in early August 1914, simultaneously alongside the exiled politicians returning to Istanbul and Temo and Riza detaining the Ottoman Parliament whilst the 2nd Division entered Istanbul, a coup was conducted to remove the three pashas and restore a Third Constitutional Era succeeded? What would be the ramifications of this?
What if the 1914 Plot led to an overthrow of the Three Pashas in August 1914 in the Ottoman Empire?
- Thread starter Sarthak
- Start date
Portukalian was an Armenian nationalist; it seems very odd that his participation would be key in a plot by Turks against other Turks. Was he actually in contact with non-Armenian exiles?
He had been allowed back to the OE after 1908 before he fled again in 1913. He was apparently willing to be moderate if the Armenian Vilayets were reformed to be more proportional per population of every ethnic group with the suspended 1895 Armenian Parliament being restored. He was in contact Cevdet Pasha, Ali Kemal, Serif Pasha, and some others. He also exchanged bimonthly letters with Temo and Riza on a regular basis. He had worked with the pro-democrats back in 1908 after all.
NoMommsen
Kicked
Did you mean this Mahmud Muhtar Pasha ? ... who after been severly wounded during this battle became in 1913 the ottoman ambassador in Berlin? ... until April 1915?
I somehow wonder how he might have been able to not only activly command and lead named 2nd Division but staying enough in touch with its men to feel confident enough they would follow him on a coup taking over Istanbul in late summer of 1914 ...