Defeat on the Battlefield, Defense in Press: Ottoman Propaganda in the Balkan Wars

The loss of the Rumelia in the Balkan Wars was perceived as a catastrophe by the Ottomans. Thousands of people lost their homelands and immigrated to Anatolia after overwhelming military defeat. Various actions such as public meetings, demonstrations and publications were taken in order to mobilize society and recruit volunteers against the Balkan states. This work aims to focus on the books, which were published as a humble effort of Ottoman propaganda during the Balkan Wars. These books are titled as follows: Âlâm-i İslâm: Bulgar Vahşetleri (Sorrows of Islam: Bulgarian Cruelties), Âlâm-i İslâm: Rumeli Mezalimi ve Bulgar Vahşetleri (Sorrows of Islam: Atrocities in Rumelia and Bulgarian Cruelties), and Kırmızı Siyah Kitâb, 1328 Fecâyii (The Red Black Book, the Disasters of 1328).