A comprehensive history of World War I on the Eastern Front

For about four centuries, the Ottoman Empire had been one of the most powerful states in Europe, while also ruling over the Middle East. However, by 1914, it was seriously weakened and surrounded by predators hoping to destroy it. As the Western Front reached a stalemate and the Ottomans aligned themselves with the Central Powers, the British, French, and Russians devised a bold plan to destroy their weakest opponent and carve out vast new empires for themselves: an ambitious invasion of Gallipoli unlike anything before.

This impressive book by Eugene Rogan reconstructs one of the most significant but least understood fronts of World War I and one of the most brutal theaters of war in history. It provides detailed and captivating descriptions of the major battles that took place in the harsh climatic conditions of arid deserts or the frozen Caucasus, as well as around important cities such as Constantinople, Damascus, Baghdad, and Jerusalem. While conflicts in Western Europe were mainly fought by professional armies, those in the Middle East involved entire populations, with devastating consequences for long-established communities such as the Armenians and Greeks.

Although they skillfully and decisively resisted the Allied invasion and humiliated the British both in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), the Ottomans were ultimately defeated, paving the way for the formation of a new Middle East that has endured to this day - with consequences that still dominate our lives.