Old Hostilities, New Propaganda: A Comparative Account of Public Opinion during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911

This article addresses public opinion and propaganda during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911 in the Ottoman Empire and Italy in a comparative perspective through visual and textual materials. An examination of major themes and channels of war propaganda in both countries shows how such propaganda often developed in response to that of the adversary. A study of the two cases together also gives us a better understanding of how and why medieval hostilities between the two cultures were brought forward for the purposes of propaganda. The article draws attention to the global socio-political context of the war, the role of international law, and specific domestic dynamics of the belligerent countries and investigates the reasons for the participation of a wider public in the war debate.