New Ankara in the Scope of Chester Concession

After the Industrial Revolution, while the use of railways began to become widespread in Europe, railway construction activities began to be given importance in the Ottoman Empire, but; due to technical and financial inadequacies, it was necessary to get help from foreign states in this regard. The European powers, which competed to obtain concessions from the Ottoman government for railway construction, wanted to have areas of influence in the Ottoman territory in this way. Besides being a profitable investment, railway concession also represented the attempts to dismember the Ottoman Empire. In the issue, the United States, following other states, took action, and the Chester Railway Project was the most critical attempt. The project remained on the agenda from 1908 to 1923, when it was canceled by the Parliament, except for the First World War and the following one or two years, and the scope was enlarged when it was desired to revive after the war. This article examines the construction of Ankara by the U.S. under the Chester Project. Previously published research works, articles, and symposium proceedings were utilized in the study. Documents obtained from the American National Archives and news in the foreign and local press are also used to enrich the article. The idea of establishing a Washington in Anatolia, which came to the fore with verbal statements between the parties and could not go beyond being a promise, could not be realized due to the ending of the project and disappeared along with all the other American dreams expected from the Chester Project.

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