The First World War, which brought innumerable disasters to the peoples of Europe, made the collapse of the Ottoman Empire inevitable, over the centuries dominating large territories that fell victim to its insatiable military expansion. Forced to join the Central Powers, such as Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, she, along with them, knew the bitterness of defeat, failing to declare herself more as the leading world 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 proclaimed the independence of this relatively small territory and assuming 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. 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 begins 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 Empire was already evident in the 17th century, when the Turkish army, which had never known defeat and was considered invincible, suffered a crushing blow at the walls of the Austrian capital.
The first defeat from the Europeans
In 1683, hordes of Ottomans approached Vienna, besieging the city. Its inhabitants, having heard enough about the wild and ruthless morals of these barbarians, showed miracles of heroism, protecting themselves and their relatives from certain death. According to historical documents, the success of the defenders was greatly facilitated by the fact that among the garrison command there were many prominent military leaders of those years who were able to correctly and efficiently take all necessary defensive measures.
When the king of Poland arrived to help the besieged, the fate of the attackers was decided. They fled, leaving the Christians rich prey. This victory, with which the collapse of the Ottoman Empire began, had for the peoples of Europe, first of all, psychological significance. She dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the omnipotent Port, as it was customary for the Europeans to call the Ottoman Empire.
The beginning of territorial losses
This defeat, as well as a number of subsequent failures, led to the conclusion of the Karlovitsky Peace concluded in January 1699. According to this document, the Port lost its previously controlled territories of Hungary, Transylvania and Timisoara. Its borders shifted south a considerable distance. This was already quite a tangible blow to its imperial integrity.
Troubles in the 18th Century
If the first half of the next, XVIII century, was marked by certain military successes of the Ottoman Empire, which allowed it, albeit with a temporary loss of Derbent, to maintain access to the Black and Azov Seas, then the second half of the century brought a number of failures, which also predetermined the future collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
The defeat in the Turkish War, which Empress Catherine II waged with the Ottoman Sultan, forced the latter to sign a peace treaty in July 1774, according to which Russia received land stretching between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug. The following year brings a new misfortune - Porta loses Bukovina, which has departed to Austria.
For the Ottomans, the 18th century ended in complete disaster. The final defeat in the Russian-Turkish war led to the conclusion of a very unprofitable and degrading Iasi peace, according to which the entire Northern Black Sea coast, including the Crimean peninsula, was withdrawn to Russia.
Signature on a document certifying that from now on and forever our Crimea was personally set by Prince Potemkin. In addition, the Ottoman Empire was forced to transfer Russia land between the Southern Bug and the Dniester, as well as accept the loss of its dominant position 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 Russo-Turkish war of 1806-1812. The result of this was the signing in Bucharest of another, essentially destructive for the Port agreement. On the Russian side, the chief commissioner was Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, and on the Turkish side, Ahmed Pasha. The entire region from the Dniester to the Prut went to Russia and became known first as the Bessarabian region, then the Bessarabian province, and now it is Moldova.
An attempt by the Turks in 1828 to take revenge on Russia for past defeats turned into a new defeat and the next peace treaty, signed the next year in Andreapol, depriving it of the already rather scanty territory of the Danube Delta. To top it off, Greece proclaimed its independence at the same time.
Short-term success, again replaced by defeats
The only time luck smiled at the Ottomans during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, which was stupidly lost by Nicholas I. His successor on the Russian throne, Sovereign Alexander II, was forced to cede to Porta a significant part of Bessarabia, but the new war that followed in 1877-1878 returned everything to their places.
The collapse of the Ottoman Empire continued. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro separated from it in the same year. All three states have proclaimed their independence. The 18th century ended for the Ottomans by uniting the northern part of Bulgaria and the territory of their empire, called South Rumelia.
War with the Balkan Union
The twentieth 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 declared its independence and thus ended the five hundred year old Turkish yoke. Then followed the war of 1912-1913, declared by Porte to the Balkan Union. It included Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro. The purpose of these states was to seize territories that belonged to the Ottomans at that time.
Despite the fact that the Turks fought two powerful armies, the South and the North, the war ended in the victory of the Balkan Union, led to the signing of another treaty in London, this time depriving the Ottoman Empire of almost the entire Balkan Peninsula, leaving it only Istanbul and a 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
The breakdown of the Ottoman Empire in subsequent years can be simply imagined by following the course of the First World War. Wanting to regain at least part of the territories lost over the past centuries, Porta took part in hostilities, but, unfortunately, on the side of the losing powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. This was the last blow that crushed the once powerful empire, which terrified the whole world. The victory over Greece won in 1922 did not save her either. The decay process was already irreversible.
The First World War for the Port ended with the signing of the Sevres Peace Treaty in 1920 , according to which the victorious allies shamelessly stole the latter, which remained under Turkish control of the territory. All this led to its complete collapse and the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923. This act marked the completion of more than six hundred years of history of the Ottoman Empire.
Most researchers perceive 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 ways 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 less 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 Turkish revolution that 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 the supporters of the overthrown Sultan. The subsequent period was filled with bloodshed caused by clashes between warring factions and the change of rulers. All this incontrovertibly testified that powerful centralized power was a thing of the past and the Ottoman Empire collapsed.
Summarizing briefly, it should be said that Turkey has completed the path, prepared for centuries by all states that have left their mark on history. This is the origin, rapid flowering and finally decline, which often led to their complete disappearance. The Ottoman Empire did not leave completely without a trace, becoming in our days, though uneasy, but by no means the dominant member of the world community.