The Berlin Conference and the Berlin-to-Baghdad Railway

This episode explores how the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 set the stage for one of the most ambitious and contentious infrastructure projects of the early 20th century: the Berlin-to-Baghdad Railway. We trace the railway's origins from Ottoman concessions to German imperial ambition, examining its role in deepening European rivalries in the Middle East. We discuss the Baghdad Railway's financing by Deutsche Bank, its construction through the Taurus Mountains, and the diplomatic crisis it sparked with Britain and Russia. Key figures include Sultan Abdul Hamid II, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the railway engineer Heinrich August Meißner Pasha. The episode also covers the railway's impact on local populations, the Armenian labor camps, and its ultimate completion during World War I. A fresh angle that connects the scramble for Africa to the scramble for the Ottoman Empire. #BerlinConference #BaghdadRailway #OttomanEmpire #KaiserWilhelmII #SultanAbdulHamidII #DeutscheBank #HeinrichAugustMeissner #TaurusMountains #WorldWarI #GermanImperialism #MiddleEastHistory #RailwayHistory #GreatGame #ArmenianLaborCamps #BerlinToBaghdad #FexingoHistory #History #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo