Research Information System
CTAD-CUMHURIYET TARIHI ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI, vol.20, no.40, pp.101-128, 2024 (ESCI, Scopus)
China, CTAD, 20, (Spring 2024), pp. This study examines the influence of the German officers' corps on military modernization in Ottoman Empire and Nationalist China during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite disparate contexts, both nations engaged German military expertise to reform their armed forces. Under Sultan Abd & uuml;lhamit II, German officers played a pivotal role in modernizing the army, introducing new tactics, training methods, and organizational structures. This collaboration aimed to bolster the Ottoman military amidst geopolitical challenges and internal reforms. Conversely, in Nationalist China, German military advisors, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s, contributed to the professionalization and modernization of the Kuomintang (KMT) forces, emphasizing discipline, technology acquisition, and doctrinal development. Through examining primary sources and historiography, this study compares the nature and extent of German officers' influence in these two countries, and explores how cultural, political, and strategic factors shaped their contributions. By highlighting similarities and differences, this analysis sheds light on the dynamics of military modernization in non-Western contexts and the enduring impact of German military expertise on global military affairs.