Guns, Money, and Lawsuits: the Problems of the Rearmament of the Ottoman Army in the 1870s and 1880s

The paper analyzes the financial and economic challenges encountered by the Ottoman Empire during the rearmament process in 1872—1885. The paper scrutinizes the relationship between the Ottoman government and major American arms manufacturers and their role in the reforms of the Ottoman military. A diverse array of the Ottoman sources, including documents from the Directorate of State Archives in Istanbul, as well as the 19th century Ottoman military and political writings on military reforms in the Ottoman Empire, allowed to recreate a detailed picture of the interactions between the Sublime Porte and its key partners and understand the impact of this cooperation on both sides. A multifaceted analysis of the reforms of the Ottoman armed forces revealed that at the initial stages an estimated contract with the Ottoman Empire, that sought to acquire the newest weapons through procurement instead of production, sparked interest of the American gunmakers and led to a rising competition among them. After a year and a half following the conclusion of the initial contract, the relationships between the Porte and the director of the “Providence Tool Co.” weapons factory John B. Anthony reached a peak — Mr. Anthony received a solemn reception in Istanbul and was awarded with the Order of Osmanieh — one of the most prestigious military decorations of the Ottoman Empire. However, a significant downturn in the Porte’s financial standing and its following decision to halt payments on all debts had a detrimental effect on its relations with American gunmakers, thus leading to threats and counterthreats instead of a warm connection. As consequence, the Sultan’s original plan to supply his army with advanced weapons was fulfilled, though the relations with American companies ended in financial loss and legal disputes. Subsequently, the Ottomans successfully established links with other arms producers in Germany. However, John B. Anthony found himself in a dire situation. His company was unable to overcome the crisis, which led to its bankruptcy and liquidation in 1885.