Great Britain and 'a small and poor peasant state': Turkey, Britain and the 1930 Anglo-Turkish Treaty of Commerce and Navigation

BOYAR E., Fleet K.

MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, vol.57, no.6, pp.904-919, 2021 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 57 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00263206.2021.1898386
  • Journal Name: MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Jewish Studies Source, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.904-919
  • Keywords: Lausanne, commercial convention, establishment convention, propaganda, economic diplomacy
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Taking the Anglo-Turkish Trade and Navigation Treaty, concluded in March 1930, as its focal point, this article investigates the relations between Turkey and Britain after the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne and suggests that the failure of the British government to understand the fundamental importance of economic independence for the governing elite of the new Turkish republic, combined with its conviction that the Turkish economy was failing, undermined Britain's ability to assess developments in the country and to position itself accordingly.