Fall of the Sultanate: The Great War and the End of the Ottoman Empire 1908-1922

 The collapse of the Ottoman Empire was by no means a singular event. After six hundred years of ruling over the peoples of North Africa, the Balkans and Middle East, the death throes of sultanate encompassed a series of wars, insurrections, and revolutions spanning the early twentieth century. This volume encompasses a full accounting of the political, economic, social, and international forces that brought about the passing of the Ottoman state. In surveying the many tragedies that transpired in the years between 1908 and 1922, Fall of the Sultanate explores the causes that eventually led so many to view the legacy of the Ottomans with loathing and resentment. The volume provides a retelling of this critical history as seen through the eyes of those who lived through the Ottoman collapse. Drawing upon a large gamut of sources in multiple languages, Ryan Gingeras strikes a critical balance in presenting and interpreting the most impactful experiences that shaped the lives of the empire's last generation. The story presented here takes into account the perspectives of the empire's diverse population as well as the leaders who piloted the state to its end. In surveying the personal, communal and national struggles that defined Italy's invasion of Libya, the Balkan War, the Great War, and the Turkish War of Independence, Fall of the Sultanate presents readers with a fresh and comprehensive exposition of how and why Ottoman imperial rule ended in bloodshed and disillusionment.

Review: [The book] is a detailed evaluation and thorough narrative of a theatre too often overshadowed by events in Europe. It will appeal primarily to scholars, but the accessibility of the writing will certainly not exclude the volume from a wider audience. It should be included in the reading lists of any First World War studies as it is a deeply impressive piece of work. * Rob Johnson, First World War Studies *
This is an ambitious and multivocal work, which offers a significant contribution to our understanding of the demise of the Ottoman Empire. Not only does Gingeras explore the impact of the last decade of Ottoman rule - a decade that was characterized by constant wars - on Ottoman society, he also analyses the social, economic, and political structures and changes that characterized the different parts of the Ottoman Empire as they developed over the course of the nineteenth century. * Eyal Ginio (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), War in History Vol. 25.2 *
Fall of the Sultanate depicts the fall of the Empire from their point of view, as well as that of a large number of other spectators who have mostly remained invisible. * The International Spectator *
an easily read, composite story ... Gingeras manages to pull out unique kernels of wisdom from this often-traumatic history ... An excellent study accessible to a broad audience ... Highly recommended. * CHOICE *