What if Russia annexed the Ottoman Empire after WW1?

Could Russia annex all of the Ottoman Empire and if what happened afterwards. Could this put them at odds with Britain in which the Nazis may try and exploit.
 

nbcman

Donor
If Russia survived WW1 intact and was strong enough to annex the Ottoman Empire, there would be butterflies the size of Mothra.
 
Not so sure the British and French want to shift the balance of power THAT much (especially the British with their Persian oil interests, the Suez, etc). Likewise those Muslim subjects aren't going to like a Christian overlord. Things are going to get real messy.
 
If this happened, the British would rue the day they decided to becomes allies with the French and Russians.

A lot more opportunities to play the Great Game besides Central Asia.
 
If the first question still is :"Could Russia annex all of the Ottoman Empire and if what happened afterwards?" The answer is "Very unlikely". Russia at the end of WWI was in a civil war on its own. It would take years for any faction to even control all of pre-war Russia. Let alone occupy any non-Russian territory.

However there is the possibility that with Lenin-Communism now being apparently successful in Russia, there might be an Ottoman communist movement similar to the Ataturk movement so that at the end of the fighting the new Turkey and the new united Russia would be communist brother-states, one in heart and soul... However, I see a communist Germany arising way more likely.
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
I could envision Russia taking the straits and Syria, as well as the rest of Armenia. But the entire Ottoman Empire sounds extremely unrealistic - Britain will be taking Arabia and France will take Lebanon, with Greece getting the leftovers of Thrace.
 
As expansionistic as Imperial Russia was, I just can't see them trying to occupy the whole OE.
First, they had already agreed to the partition of the OE in the Sykes Picot Agreement and surely Great Britain and France won't be happy campers on getting booted out.
Second, Russian leadership was already concerned about the large number of non-Russians in the Empire. About 75% of the OE's population was Muslim, at the beginnning of WWI, that means about 15 million Muslims, and another 5 million or so, Greeks, Armenians, Bulgars, etc. This would about double the number of Muslims in the Russian Empire, that's asking for trouble.
 
Not possible even in best case situation. Russia hardly even wanted millions Muslims/non-Russians more and it would had been technically totally impossible. And Brits and French wouldn't had been happy. Russia probably would take Armenian territories and if possible Constantinople and Bosporian straits. But not more.
 
The Nazi's never become relevant because Britain immediately goes "Oh hey Germany, remember that Treaty thing ending the previous war? Well as far as we're concerned, you can ignore that entirely as long as you agree to sign an alliance with us against Russia."

Followed by dumping of a couple million 'surplus' Lee Enfields and other weapons on the 'open market.' Strangely, they all seem to only end up in the hands of any Arab insurgent group in Russian occupied territory that's even remotely viable.
 

kernals12

Banned
Was this ever an aim of the Russians? Because this would be a complete disaster in every conceivable way. Vassal States maybe, but definitely not annexation.
 
Was this ever an aim of the Russians? Because this would be a complete disaster in every conceivable way. Vassal States maybe, but definitely not annexation.

Yea, Russia doesn't even need most of it. It just needs one part, the Bosporus. Gaining that would be their holy grail, opening Russia to their one true goal of free and unhindered access to the world's oceans (their 'closest' one is halfway across the world, in the Pacific). Another goal, in lieu of control of the straits, would be Istanbul, or Constantinople, which would be a massive boost to Russian prestige as the liberator of Christian Orthodoxy and the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Russia can afford to leave everything else to Britain and France, but Britain would stop at nothing to prevent the Russians from opening a port anywhere near the Suez.
 
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