British Activities in the Caucasus at the Close of World War One

Abstract

The year 1917 in which the First World War continued its ravages was a year that witnessed extraordinary events. For the revolution that took place in Russia in this same year exerted a great impact on the course of the war. Overall, the impact of this event on Germany, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman state was definitely positive. The presence of the Russian army in the Caucasus came to an end, and, in the resulting power vacuum, the Ottomans wished to take their place. Britain, with its vital interests in the Middle East and India, developed three main projects to block the Ottomans from taking advantage of this power vacuum in order to penetrate Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia, as follows: To secure the continued presence at the front of the retreating Russian troops by supplying them with provisions; To form a Southern Bloc composed of the peoples who lived in the Caucasus and Transcaucasus regions; To halt the Ottoman- German advance by supporting the organization of the Georgians and Armenians. The Lloyd George government, which initiated these projects, was ultimately unable to put them into operation due to time constraints and communication difficulties, thus, the geography of the Caucasus, along with its economic wealth and strategic importance, came under the control of the Ottoman and German armies.