An American Enterprise and an Endeavour of Reading the Ottoman City: The Levant Trade Review and Smyrna (1911-1914)

Abstract

This article is based on a meticulous study of the Ottoman-American economic relations in the Levant Trade Review (1911-1931), published by the American Chamber of Commerce for the Levant, upon realizing that the Levant Trade Review might possibly shed some light on the history of the city of Smyrna. Thus, observations and reports which were penned by authorities such as the chamber of commerce, consulates and educators, enabled researchers to read about cityies trade centers’ socio-economic structures and natures during their transformation period. This period was determined by the development of the Turco Italian War of 1911-1912 and the Balkan Wars following the first publication of the journal in 1911. Thus, in terms of apperceiving the economical dynamics of the era, examining Smyrna through its commercial activities with the USA (which had a strong and steady position in the world’s economy in the first quarter of the 20th century) was considered to be significant as one of the three important economical centers of Ottoman State, With this aim, the dimensions of the social and economic life of Smyrna, based on the Levant Trade Review, are used to give visibility to the period.