Fifth Handout

The Declining Ottoman Empire (aka the Great Sick Man of Europe) in the 19th century
Massacre of the Janissaries by Sultan Mahmut II (1826) Greek Revolution (1821) and Independence (1829) Serbian Independence under the Nominal Rule of the Sultan (1830) Egyptian Independence (Muhammad Ali) under the Nominal Rule of the Sultan (1825) 1839–1876 Internal Re-organization (Tanzimat). Equal rights for all citizens (in theory). Too little, too late. Russian Pressure in the Balkans (1876): Unleashing the dogs of war (Slavic Balkan states) against the Ottoman Empire. Russian-Ottoman War 1877-1878: Complete independence for Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania (they were under the Nominal Rule of the Sultan) and also for Bulgaria (new state). Besides the Balkans, Russian advances in the Caucasus area. - Treaty of San Stefano results in great losses for the Ottomans, but Britain forces a revision (Congress of Berlin) and is rewarded by the Ottomans by Cyprus.


1882: Britain takes control of Egypt and Sudan. 1876-1909: Reign of Abdul Hamid II, the "red" sultan. Notoriously oppressive. Streetcars were not allowed in Istanbul because of the sultan's fear that electrivity might be used to kill him [Source is oral history so the story might not be true].

The reforms of Selim III had been opposed by the Janissaries and religious leaders. By eliminating or reducing the influence of any institution that would challenge the sultan the Empire became more autocratic with only modest gains in modernization.

The evil genie of nationalism was "out of the bottle" by the start of the 19th century. Reforms towards equal rights for all citizens should have been in place well before the Greek and Serbian revolutions broke out.

The 20th Century and the End of the Ottoman Empire
1904-1908	Macedonian struggle: The six great powers intervene with military missions to keep Greeks and Bulgarians from slaughtering each other.
1908	Revolt of the Young Turks: Introduction of a supposedly modern regime respecting rights of all ethnic groups. It did not work that way.
1908	Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia-Herzegovina that it had occupied since 1878.
1911	Italy takes over Libya.
1912-1913	Balkan Wars: An alliance of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria took over all European possessions of the Ottoman Empire except for a small area around Constantinople. Then the first three (and Romania) fought against Bulgaria in dividing the spoils. Albania became independent in 1912.