History Studies (Feb 2023)
OTTOMAN EMPIRE AND MOROCCAN RESISTANCE TO THE FRENCH PROTECTORATE IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR: ACTIVITIES OF TEŞKILAT-I MAHSUSA IN MOROCCO
Abstract
During the First World War, many armed resistance movements were fighting against the French Protectorate regime in Morocco. These movements became a serious threat to the French presence when the Ottoman Empire declared "jihad" and entered the war. Germany, which supported these movements financially and militarily, requested officers from the Ottoman Empire to start a general uprising in the region. In this direction, Teskilat-i Mahsusa officers were sent to Spain with the task of supporting resistance movements in Morocco. Although that they conducted intense activities until 1916, as a result of the disagreement with the German authorities, they were dismissed from their duties. There are several studies on armed resistance movements in Morocco during the First World War. However, the contribution of the Ottoman Empire to these resistance movements has not been the subject of studies. This is probably due to the fact that Ottoman archival documents were not used by researchers for reasons such as language barriers. In this article, the activities of Teskilat-i Mahsusa officers supporting the resistance movements in Morocco to cause a general anti-French uprising in the region during the war will be examined. In addition to Ottoman archival documents, it is aimed to contribute to the literature by using English and French archives.
