Constantinople and the Straits. The Struggle of the Russian Empire for the Capital of Turkey, Control of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles in World War I. Volume 1

Since the time of Catherine II, who dreamed of the revival of Byzantium on its historical lands, the most characteristic feature of Russia's foreign policy has been the desire to gain access through the Straits and complete dominance in the... Black Sea. Throughout the 19th century, Russian rulers repeatedly attempted to revive the "Greek project," but the issue of the Straits became particularly acute in 1908-1911 in connection with the Turkish revolution and the Italo-Turkish war for Tripoli, when passage through the Straits became impossible for both military and commercial vessels. This publication presents two volumes of secret documents from the archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the agreement reached in 1915 between Russia, France, and England concerning Constantinople and the Straits, as well as secret papers from 1916-1917 relating to the "Bosphorus Expedition Project." The documentary section of the first volume is preceded by a detailed historical background by Professor E.A. Adamov, the editor and compiler of this publication, outlining the political situation in Europe during the escalation of the Balkan crisis and World War I.