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Turkey and Neutrality During WWII

Turkey and Neutrality during the Second World War

This paper will discuss Turkey during the Second World War, focusing upon how Turkish leaders kept their country neutral. The first part of the paper will present a background of Turkey's geopolitical position in the middle of the Twentieth Century; the second part of the paper will examine the role played by Turkey in the Second World War.

Centrally located in the Near East and controlling the only waterway connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey was both an asset and an obstacle in the Allied and Axis strategic plans. At the beginning of the war the Turkish government maintained diplomatic relations with both sides, asserting its position as being strictly neutral. Both sides wanted control of the Straits and a presence in the Balkans. The British and French wanted to exclude the Axis from the oil fields of the Middle East, while the Axis wanted to funnel supplies to Arab rebels. When Germany reneged on the Russo-German Non-Aggression Pact and invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941, Turkey became very important. The Soviets needed access to the Mediterranean through the Straits in order to keep a steady flow of supplies from the West, while the Germans, needed a secure southern flank in the east. As the tide of battle turned against the Axis in 1942, the Allies became increasingly insistent that Turkey declare war on Germany but the Turkish government knew that the Allies could not prevent a German strike into Turkey. In addition, German occupation of even parts of Turkey would provide an excuse for the Soviets to "liberate" Turkey and destroy Turkish independence after the war. Consequently, Turkey avoided entering the war until February of 1945, two months prior to the German surrender.

After the establishment of the Republic by Ataturk in 1922, the overriding concern of the Turkish government became the survival and continuity of a sovere...

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Turkey and Neutrality During WWII. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 03:30, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689782.html