Social values themselves became militarized. Moreover, civilian activities were allowed mostly when they involved fund-raising for military activities or assistance for military families. As a result, almost all of the Ottoman society’s resources were channeled into the military effort. The government’s extreme powers of requisition placed agricultural products and animals at the disposal of the Ministry of War. In order to provide for the ever-increasing demands of the army, such as uniforms, shoes, and linen, women’s labor was channeled towards military needs. įrom the outbreak of the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) onwards, men were recruited into the military in larger numbers. For women, it primarily entailed the removal of men from their households and the increasing intrusion of the state into their daily lives. For millions of men, this relationship took the form of conscription and long-term military service. A new relationship between the state and its people was established. The ways in which the state functioned and intervened changed dramatically. The First World War lasted nearly four years for Ottoman society, from October 1914 to November 1918, and it required the most comprehensive mobilization of men and resources in the history of the empire.

Empire total war ottoman