The history of the Italian-Turkish War, September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912

• published: 31 Oct 2014
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Italy declared war against Turkey for commercial reasons and to provide a neighboring colony for her surplus population. The Italians believe the prediction of the great African Explorer, Gerhard Rohly, who, twenty years ago, declared that the power that rules Tripoli will dominate the Soudan. The proximity of Tripoli to Italy makes its possession desirable. The importance of the region was recognized by the ancient Romans. Cyrenaica was very important. The five great com- mercial ports were known as the Lybian Pentapolis, and existing ruins of great works, aqueducts, dams, and large buildings reveal its ancient prosperity. Sallust states that Leptis alone annually exported forty million bushels of grain and paid a war tax of twenty-five thousand gallons of olive oil. The Mediterranean climate prevails, and though the great Saharan Desert ap- proaches close to the coast there are large oases and fertile tracts of land that would enable the country to support a population of twelve million inhabitants, whereas it now has but one million. This coast has a number of naturally fine harbors that have been filled up with sand and ruined by neglect, but which could easily be reclaimed. Such are Tripoli, Lebda, Misrata, Benghasi, Derna, Mersa, Bomba and Tobruk. The trend of the coast brings the Tripolitan ports three hundred miles nearer the trade centers of points around Sahara, and the trade routes converge towards Tripoli. Ever since the Kingdom of Italy was united Italy has coveted the opposite coast of North Africa. Forty years ago Bismarck wrote to Mazzini: "The Mediterranean is indisputably Italy's sphere of interest. The control of the Mediterranean should be the constant goal and the controlling principle of Italian states- men!" England had long possessed Malta and Gibraltar. In 6 THE ITALIAN-TURKISH WAB. 1878 she acquired Cyprus while Austria took Bosnia. At the Berlin Congress Bismarck and Beaconsfield offered Italy Mityleni, Tunis and Tripoli ; but Cairoli declined, stating that he wished to leave the Congress with clean hands. Other nations, however, stepped in and took forcible possession. France inau- gurated her Algerian imperial policy and acquired Senegal, Tschad, and Tunis. France fortified Biserta on the Tunisian coast and is now proceeding to peaceably acquire Morocco. Dur- ing the Russo-Turkish war England offered to form a league with Italy, Austria and Greece to maintain the status quo in the Mediterranean, but Italy declined because she did not wish to disturb her friendly relations with other nations. In 1881, when France seized Tunis and broke the status quo, Italy claimed to be too weak to make any serious protest, but, at the renewal of the triple alliance in 1886, Italy complained that Germany and Austria did not protect Italy from French encroachments in the Mediterranean. Bismarck then is said to have negotiated a secret treaty with England stipulating that Italy's interests in the Mediterranean should be preserved. In 1889, however, England negotiated the Soudan treaty with France defining boundaries that encroached still further on the borders of the Tripolitan hinterland. In a secret treaty in 1902, England and France recognized Italy's claims to Tripoli. In 1904 France definitely proclaimed Italy's prior right to take possession of Tripoli under certain contingencies. During the Bosnia-Bul- garian crisis Italy was supposed to take definite action, but Italy hesitated because of England's relations with the Young Turk government, but since England's attitude has cooled somewhat, Italy has finally acted to be no longer reproached for neglecting her opportunities. These diplomatic incidents explain the neu- trality of European powers during the war. The Turks had possesison of Tripoli since 1835, and the in- habitants regarded Turkish rule as a blessing; they enjoyed greater freedom and were subjected to much less burdensome taxation than before. The protectorate of Tripoli was an ex- pense rather than a source of revenue for Turkey. The expenses of administration were greater than the revenue from harbor dues and agriculture. The Turks relieved the people of military service at first, but in 1901 universal compulsory military service was re-established and occasioned some opposition, but this was THE ITALIAN-TURKISH WAB. 7 long since settled as a necessary feature of the government. The alleged Italian claim that the country was misgoverned and that intolerable conditions existed was not well founded.