Moguls and Mandarins

4

British Policy, International Diplomacy and the Turkish Revolution

Kemal’s struggle to control the destiny of his country brought the forces of resurgent Turkish nationalism into deep conflict with British policy towards his country in the period between the end of the First World War and the Treaty of Lausanne.¹ The military conflict was but the expression of the deeper political disagreement which, for Britain, meant ultimately being forced to give up its considerable political influence over the Turkish government and within the country – though not, of course, in the detached Turkish provinces, which did not, save for Mosul, enter into the diplomatic debate.

For Britain at the end of the First World War, Turkey was the defeated enemy who ...