The First World War, which brought incalculable disasters to the peoples of Europe, made inevitable the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which for centuries dominated large territories that fell victim to its insatiable military expansion. Forced to join the Central Powers such as Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, she shared with them the bitterness of defeat, unable to further assert herself as the world's leading empire.
Founder of the Ottoman Empire
At the end of the 13th century, Osman I Gazi inherited from his father Bey Ertogrul the power over the countless Turkish hordes that inhabited Phrygia. Having declared the independence of this relatively small territory and taking the title of Sultan, he managed to conquer a significant part of Asia Minor and thus found a powerful empire, named after him the Ottoman Empire. She was destined to play an important role in world history.
Already in the middle of the XIV century, the Turkish army landed on the coast of Europe and began its centuries-old expansion, which made this state one of the greatest in the world in the XV-XVI centuries. However, the beginning of the collapse of the Ottoman Empirewas already outlined in the 17th century, when the Turkish army, which had not known defeat before and was considered invincible, suffered a crushing blow near the walls of the Austrian capital.
First defeat against Europeans
In 1683, the hordes of the Ottomans approached Vienna, taking the city under siege. Its inhabitants, having heard enough about the wild and ruthless customs of these barbarians, showed miracles of heroism, protecting themselves and their relatives from certain death. As historical documents testify, the success of the defenders was greatly facilitated by the fact that among the command of the garrison there were many prominent military leaders of those years who were able to competently and promptly take all the necessary defensive measures.
When the king of Poland arrived to help the besieged, the fate of the attackers was decided. They fled, leaving rich booty to the Christians. This victory, which began the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, had for the peoples of Europe, first of all, a psychological significance. She dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the omnipotent Porte, as it was customary for Europeans to call the Ottoman Empire.
Beginning of territorial losses
This defeat, as well as a number of subsequent failures, led to the Peace of Karlovci concluded in January 1699. According to this document, the Port lost the previously controlled territories of Hungary, Transylvania and Timisoara. Its borders have shifted to the south for a considerable distance. It was already quite a tangible blow to her Imperial integrity.
Trouble in the 18th century
If the first half of the next, XVIII century, wasmarked by certain military successes of the Ottoman Empire, which allowed it, although with the temporary loss of Derbent, to maintain access to the Black and Azov Seas, the second half of the century brought a number of failures that also predetermined the future collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
The defeat in the Turkish war, which Empress Catherine II fought with the Ottoman Sultan, forced the latter to sign a peace treaty in July 1774, according to which Russia received lands stretching between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug. The next year brings a new misfortune - the Port loses Bukovina, which has ceded to Austria.
The 18th century ended in complete disaster for the Ottomans. The final defeat in the Russian-Turkish war led to the conclusion of a very unfavorable and humiliating Iasi peace, according to which the entire Northern Black Sea region, including the Crimean peninsula, went to Russia.
The signature on the document, certifying that from now on and forever Crimea is ours, was personally put by Prince Potemkin. In addition, the Ottoman Empire was forced to transfer the lands between the Southern Bug and the Dniester to Russia, as well as come to terms with the loss of its dominant positions in the Caucasus and the Balkans.
The beginning of a new century and new troubles
The beginning of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century was predetermined by its next defeat in the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. The result of this was the signing in Bucharest of another, in fact, disastrous treaty for the Ports. On the Russian side, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was the chief commissioner, and on the Turkish side,Ahmed Pasha. The entire region from the Dniester to the Prut was ceded to Russia and became known first as the Bessarabian region, then as the Bessarabian province, and now it is Moldova.
The attempt made by the Turks in 1828 to take revenge from Russia for past defeats turned into a new defeat and another peace treaty signed the next year in Andreapol, depriving it of the already rather sparse territory of the Danube Delta. To top it off, Greece declared its independence at the same time.
Short-term success turned into failure again
The only time fortune smiled on the Ottomans was during the years of the Crimean War of 1853-1856, which Nicholas I lost ineptly. everything in its place.
The collapse of the Ottoman Empire continued. Taking advantage of the favorable moment, in the same year, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro separated from it. All three states declared their independence. The 18th century ended for the Ottomans with the unification of the northern part of Bulgaria and the territory of their empire, called South Rumelia.
War with the Balkan Union
XX century dates from the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Republic of Turkey. This was preceded by a series of events, the beginning of which was laid in 1908 by Bulgaria, which announced itsindependence and thus ended the five hundred year Turkish yoke. This was followed by the war of 1912-1913, declared by the Porte of the Balkan Union. It included Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro. The goal of these states was to seize the territories that belonged to the Ottomans at that time.
Despite the fact that the Turks fielded two powerful armies, the South and the North, the war, which ended with the victory of the Balkan Union, led to the signing of another treaty in London, which this time deprived the Ottoman Empire of almost the entire Balkan Peninsula, leaving it only Istanbul and small part of Thrace. The main part of the occupied territories was received by Greece and Serbia, which almost doubled their area due to them. In those days, a new state was formed - Albania.
Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey
One can simply imagine how the collapse of the Ottoman Empire took place in subsequent years, following the course of the First World War. Wanting to regain at least part of the territories lost over the past centuries, the Port took part in hostilities, but, unfortunately, on the side of the losing powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. It was the final blow that crushed the once mighty empire that terrified the whole world. The victory over Greece in 1922 did not save her either. The decay process was already irreversible.
The First World War for the Porte ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sevres in 1920, according to which the victorious Allies shamelesslythey plundered the last remaining territories under Turkish control. All this led to its complete collapse and the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923. This act marked the end of more than six hundred years of Ottoman history.
Most researchers see the reasons for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, primarily in the backwardness of its economy, the extremely low level of industry, the lack of a sufficient number of highways and other means of communication. In a country that was at the level of medieval feudalism, almost the entire population remained illiterate. In many respects, the empire was much worse developed than other states of that period.
Objective evidence of the collapse of the empire
Speaking about what factors testified to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, we should first of all mention the political processes that took place in it at the beginning of the 20th century and were practically impossible in earlier periods. This is the so-called Young Turk Revolution, which took place in 1908, during which members of the Unity and Progress organization seized power in the country. They overthrew the Sultan and introduced a constitution.
The revolutionaries did not last long in power, giving way to supporters of the deposed sultan. The subsequent period was filled with bloodshed caused by clashes between warring factions and a change of rulers. All this irrefutably testified that powerful centralized power was a thing of the past, and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire had begun.
Briefly summing up, it should be said that Turkey has completed the path that has been prepared for all states from time immemorial that have left their mark on history. This is the birth, rapid flourishing and finally decline, often leading to their complete disappearance. The Ottoman Empire did not leave completely without a trace, becoming today, though restless, but by no means the dominant member of the world community.
