ABSTRACT
The chief characteristic of Great Britain's policy toward the Ottoman Empire during the 50-plus years from the end of the Crimean War and the Ottomans' entry to World War I was described as continued but gradual change. The Young Turk revolution in 1908 resulted in a major shift in the Ottoman policy toward Great Britain. Sultan Abdulhamid's negative leanings toward British involvement in the Ottoman Empire prior to the 1908 Young Turk revolution stemmed from Britain's semi-annexation of Egypt that began in 1882. After 1914, Great Britain imported most of its petroleum products from the United States. The British Navy would increasingly become dependent upon Persian oil as an alternative source to its Western Hemisphere sources. Moreover, the director of British naval intelligence also warned Salisbury that as long as France supported Russia, it would be impossible for the British Navy to prevent Russian warships from exiting the Straits.
