The causes of the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878 gg.) And its consequences

Numerous reasons for the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878) led to the beginning of an armed conflict between the two empires on the Balkan Peninsula. It had important consequences for the Slavic peoples of this region.

Longstanding confrontation

Considering the reasons for the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878), it should be said that the conflict between these two powers was so long ago and profound that every subsequent armed clash became a logical continuation of the centuries-old rivalry between the tsar and the sultan. Since the time they received a common border in the 17th century, they were constantly fighting for land and resources.

In this rivalry, Turkey repeatedly suffered defeat, giving the Romanov all the new provinces - Ukrainian steppes, Moldovan principalities, etc. The exception was the Crimean War in 1853-1856, when the Ottoman Empire was openly supported by the Western European powers, frightened by the excessive strengthening of Russia . Nicholas I prematurely died in many respects from the emotional shock associated with the defeats of his army.

The son of the deceased Tsar Alexander II was able to finish that war with the help of enormous diplomatic efforts, making serious concessions to the enemy coalition. But even the peace treaty of 1856 did not give guarantees that the bloodshed would not begin again. The reasons for the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878) forced Alexander to go back to confrontation with the Ottoman Empire many years later.

Oppression of the Balkan Slavs

After the end of the Crimean War, in one of the paragraphs of the Paris Peace Treaty Turkey guaranteed equal rights for the Muslim and Christian population of its country. This was one of the most acute contradictions between the Ottoman Empire and the rest of Europe.

The Turks were Muslims, but in the Balkan territories of their state lived the Slavic majority - Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins, as well as Bulgarians. All these peoples professed Christianity. Thus, the conflict between them and the titular nation was not only national, but also confessional.

The reasons for the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) were precisely in the unequal position of the Bulgarians. All Balkan Slavic peoples looked at the tsar from St. Petersburg as a defender of their interests and regularly asked him for help.

It can not be said that the Sultan or his government stood for violence against Christians. However, the state looked at such conflicts inside the country through fingers and did not prevent Muslims from oppressing the Bulgarians or other ethnic minorities.

At the beginning of the XIX century, Greece "split away" from Turkey. The country gained independence after years of bloody war. But in the following decades the Ottoman Empire continued to control certain regions where Greeks still lived.

Because of this in the 1860s, a liberation uprising took place on the island of Crete, which was brutally suppressed. Thus, the causes of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878gg. Were that the Ottoman Empire could not exist in the former borders, while not respecting the rights of numerous Balkan peoples.

Diplomacy of Gorchakov

Alexander II became king when Russia had already lost the Crimean War. He had to go to a disadvantageous world. Although the country did not lose territories, according to the treaty, the Black Sea Fleet was destroyed and banned. For St. Petersburg, this state of affairs was humiliating. The new emperor appointed Foreign Minister of the experienced diplomat Alexander Gorchakov. Many historians consider him a "gray cardinal" of Russian foreign policy of that era.

The Tsar and Gorchakov began to prepare for the inevitable aggravation of relations with the Ottoman Empire and the approaching war. In Russia in peacetime many reforms have passed: the rejection of serfdom, changes in the army and the economy. All these measures, among other things, should help modernize the national armed forces.

Union with Prussia

After the European powers openly supported Turkey in the Crimean War, the previous diplomatic relations with them became impossible. The only ally of St. Petersburg was Berlin. At this time, the Prussian king quickly united Germany, wishing to create a single national empire. His opponent was Austria. The dynasty of the Habsburgs, who ruled in Vienna, also claimed to unite Germany under its own authority, but was defeated in the fight against the Hohenzollerns.

In 1870, Prussia defeated France in the war for Alsace and Lorraine. This success allowed the Prussian king to declare the creation of the German Empire, which also included numerous small German principalities. France was one of the guarantors of the integrity of the Ottoman Empire. Russia and Germany acted as a single diplomatic front, seeking to force Paris to abandon its obligations towards the Sultan. This plan really worked. In addition, Russia once again got the right to build ships in the Black Sea.

The Bulgarian Uprising

Soon, domestic diplomats received carte blanche for the conflict with the Ottoman Empire. The preconditions, the reasons for the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878), as well as the agreements of the European powers, were discussed. At that time a national liberation uprising began in Bulgaria.

The Janissaries brutally dealt not only with the militia, but also with the civilian population. This was the reason for the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). The results of the suppression of the uprising affected very quickly. Russia declared the Ottoman Empire war, supporting the Orthodox Bulgarians who turned to the king for help. For two years on the banks of the Danube was a bloody confrontation between the armies of these countries.

Results of the conflict

Knowing what the causes of the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878 gg.), You can easily guess what it ended. The army of Alexander II defeated the Muslims and already threatened Istanbul. The Sultan had to resort to diplomacy.

In 1878, the San Stefano peace treaty was signed. According to him, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro became independent states. The Bulgarians gained wide autonomy. Soon de facto, they also withdrew from the jurisdiction of Istanbul. Russia annexed Bessarabia and the Kara region in Transcaucasia.