In his enthralling Sea of Troubles Ian Rutledge offers a grand overview of the tensions that led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire and locates their source in the spread of capitalism and the ensuing inter-imperialist struggle. Ultimately, he argues, this competition, fuelled by industrial capitalism, would result in the First World War. The Ottoman Empire was far from the ‘sick man of Europe’, but it was certainly starting to look unwell. This view would contribute to the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians during the First World War. But modernity had a bloody price tag for many in the lands of the Ottoman Empire.

Source: Libya Today May 27, 2024 06:01 UTC