De Bunsen Committee
Encyclopedia
The De Bunsen Committee was a committee established in 1915 by British Prime Minister
H. H. Asquith
, headed by Maurice de Bunsen, to determine British wartime policy toward the Ottoman Empire
. The report of the De Bunsen committee established the foundation for British policy in the Middle East.
The committee was established in response to a French initiative, to consider the nature of British objectives in Turkey and Asia in the event of a successful conclusion of the war. The committee's report provided the guidelines for negotiations with France, Italy, and Russia regarding the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
.
The De Bunsen committee considered four possible solutions : partition, leaving only a small Ottoman state in Anatolia; preservation subject to Great Power control zones of political and commercial influence; preservation as an independent state in Asia; creation of a decentralised, federal Ottoman state in Asia.
The Committee's report, titled "British war aims in Ottoman Asia" was issued on 30 June 1915, and recommended the last option as the best solution for meeting the British Empire's defence needs.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
, headed by Maurice de Bunsen, to determine British wartime policy toward the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The report of the De Bunsen committee established the foundation for British policy in the Middle East.
The committee was established in response to a French initiative, to consider the nature of British objectives in Turkey and Asia in the event of a successful conclusion of the war. The committee's report provided the guidelines for negotiations with France, Italy, and Russia regarding the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations.The partitioning was planned from the early days of the war,...
.
The De Bunsen committee considered four possible solutions : partition, leaving only a small Ottoman state in Anatolia; preservation subject to Great Power control zones of political and commercial influence; preservation as an independent state in Asia; creation of a decentralised, federal Ottoman state in Asia.
The Committee's report, titled "British war aims in Ottoman Asia" was issued on 30 June 1915, and recommended the last option as the best solution for meeting the British Empire's defence needs.