The Russian administration of the occupied Ottoman territories during the First World War : 1915-1917

Abstract

This study examines the process of the establishment of the Russian Administration in the occupied territories of the Ottoman Empire, in the course of the First World War. This thesis is divided into 5 chapters. Following the first chapter, which describes the background of the military occupation of the Ottoman territories by the Russian Army, the second chapter analyses the formation of the temporary Russian administration. Relying on archival documents, contemporary newspapers, and diaries of the Russian officials in charge, this chapter traces the projects for the establishment of the Russian political, judicial, and financial systems, and for the colonization of the occupied territories. Chapter three focuses on the activities of philanthropic societies from the Russian Empire in the occupied regions. In the fourth chapter, the emphasis is given to the various scientific explorations conducted by Russian scientists in the occupied areas. Finally, the fifth chapter is devoted for the conclusion, where, the process of the formation of the Russian administration in the occupied Ottoman territories is interpreted in line with the peculiar Russian colonial process of osvoenie.