The Excursion Of Ottoman Elites To Germany In 1911

After the declaration of the Second Constitutional Period and the discrowning of Sultan Abdulhamid the II, the German Empire tried to establish relationships with the members of Young Turks who are the new representatives of the Ottoman society and the state bureaucracy. An excursion to Germany was planned to include the notables of the occupational groups who have corner on the market and the bureaucrats. The objective of the excursion was to draw a portrait of the allied Germany in the presence of the elites which have started to emerge after the regime shift in the Ottoman State. Through this excursion, Ottoman elites would be able to obtain real information related to the business life, industry and commercial life in Germany. Thus, Germany would be able to create more political, economic and cultural effects on the Ottoman. On December 31, 1911, the German journalist, Dr. Ernst Jäckh, who was the planner of the excursion to Germany informed the German authorities related to his idea of inviting Ottoman elites to Germany and showing them around. Upon the approval of both states, Dr. Jäckh was assigned to organize the invitation and the preliminary preparations related to the excursion. Turkish research committee which consists of 52 people went to Germany on June 15, 1911. The excursion program consisted of a period of one month and had four stages. It involved the military installations, plants, industrial installations, public buildings and mining sites. Four states of Germany and two coastal towns which consisted all those installations were visited by the Ottoman elites. This excursion of the Ottoman elites consolidated the relationships between two countries. Both Turkish and German media were closely interested in this excursion. In terms of informing the national and international public related to the issue, the media played its role perfectly. In conclusion, this study called The Excursion of Ottoman Elites to Germany in 1911 will give detailed information related to the issue through both Turkish and German archive documents.