The Ottoman Empire had seen centuries of decline since the height of Constantinople’s prime as a seat of the Roman Empire.  Numerous attempted revolutions and cessations mixed in with wars against Russia, Italy, and the Balkans to bankrupt the powerful nation before The War.  Alliance with Germany was their last hope.  If they won The War, they could retake the lands stolen from them by opportunists.  If they lost, they would be forgotten to history.  They lost.