Isolation, Public Opinion, and the Limits of British Policy in the Near East: Salisbury’s Anglo-Russian Condominium Attempt
Journal: Turcology Research
Year: 2025

During his three terms as Prime Minister of Britain, Salisbury also served concurrently as Foreign Secretary, exerting decisive influence over foreign policy. Although unsympathetic toward Sultan Abdulhamid II and inclined to the view that the Turks should withdraw from Europe, he nevertheless sought to preserve Britain’s traditional policy of supporting the Ottoman Empire. Salisbury feared that the Empire’s collapse would allow Russia to advance toward the Straits, undermining Britain’s interna