| This dissertation departs from the usual analysis of the Baghdad Railway as a symbol of German imperialism. Revisiting the railway's construction sites on the Ottoman frontier, it chronicles the important Ottoman contribution to the enterprise and explores the dynamics of the Turco-German partnership that developed around the railway's construction. By analyzing the railway as a joint Turco-German enterprise and not as the sole product of German ingenuity and capital, this study provides the first balanced historical account of the railway's construction and unveils, for the first time, the railway's fascinating cultural legacy.;As the focal point of a shared Turco-German imperial strategy, the Baghdad Railway was instrumental in forging a lasting Turco-German partnership. Experiments in intercultural living, the railway's construction sites served as the proving ground for emerging Turco-German relations. Far removed from the centers of state power, railway personnel found themselves influenced more by regional issues than Great Power policies. Often forced to revise their plans to compensate for the harsh construction environment, the German railway planners grew increasingly dependent on Ottoman hospitality, security, and labor.;This dissertation argues that the Baghdad Railway did not force the Ottoman Empire into German orbit. On the contrary, the railway helped restore the Ottoman Empire to health, allowing it to redirect German imperial demands to satisfy its own domestic needs. Although German personnel were active in each phase of the railway's planning and construction, the Ottomans maintained control over the railway's pace, route, and progress. Using the Baghdad Railway to play off Great Power rivalries, Ottoman leaders took important steps toward achieving their own imperial goal---a sovereign and independent Turkey. |
