Fall Of The OttomansFor some four centuries the Ottoman Empire had been one of the most powerful states in Europe as well as ruler of the Middle East By 1914 it had been drastically weakened and circled by numerous predators waiting to finish it off Following the Ottoman decision to join the First World War on the side of the Central Powers the British French and Russians hatched a plan to finish the Ottomans off an ambitious and unprecedented invasion of Gallipoli