EUROPEANS CLAIM MUSLIM LANDSp. 352-356

Objectives

•Summarize the decline of the Ottoman Empire

•Describe the Crimean War

•Analyze Egypt’s Reforms

•Evaluate Persia’s response to foreign pressure

Why it matters now …

Political events in this vital resource area are still influenced by actions from the imperialistic period.

OTTOMAN EMPIRE LOSES POWER

Reforms Fail

Suleyman I• Died 1566• Last great sultan

• a Muslim sovereign

Followed by a succession of weak sultans• Quarreling factions• Corruption and theft caused finical

loses• Inflation• Lagged behind technologically

Salim III

• Comes to power in 1789• Attempts to modernize the army

• Overthrown by the Janissary• Turkish infantry forming the Sultan's

guard between the 14th and 19th centuries

Nationalism

• Greece – independence • Serbia – Self-ruleEuropeans try to find a way to exploit this weakness in the empire

What part did internal corruption play in the decline of Ottoman

power?

It lead to a weakened economy and

technological stagnation

EUROPEANS GRAB TERRITORY

Russia and the Crimean War

Geopolitics• An interest in or taking of land for its

strategic location or products Former Ottoman controlled access to the Mediterranean, Atlantic, & Black Sea was coveted

Crimean War• Conflict in which the Ottoman Empire, with

the aid of Britain & France, halted Russian expansion in the region of the Black Sea

Florence Nightingale• Led the 1st groups of army nurses

Newspapers• For the 1st time newspapers

correspondents covered the war

Ottoman Weakness• Despite of the help from their

allies, land continued to be lost.

How did European nations take advantage of Ottoman’s weakness?

They saw it as an opportunity for

imperialism

EUROPEANS GRAB TERRITORY

The Great Game

“Great Game”• Geopolitical struggle between England

and Russia over Muslim lands in Central Asia

India• One of Britain’s most profitable

coloniesAfghanistan• Geographically between Russian &

British Empire• 1881 – British withdraw from

Afghanistan• 1921 – Soviet Union signed non-

aggression pact

In what way were Russian, British, and French motivations in the

Crimean War similar?

They all wanted to control Ottoman

territory

EGYPT INITIATES REFORMS

Military and Economic Reforms

In response to the Ottoman decline, the Muslim world was put on notice• Adjust to the modern world

• Or• Be consumed by it

Mahammad Ali• Sent by the Ottomans to govern Egypt• Broke away from Ottomans and gained

control over Syria an Arabia after a series of battles

Shift to cotton• Brought Egypt into the

international market placeThe Suez Canal • Built by the grandson of Ali• 1869 – connected the Red Sea to

the Mediterranean • $450 million in debt to build• English overseeing financing and

control of the canal – 1882

How was Muhammad Ali’s promotion of cotton production similar to European imperialists’ actions

in Africa?

Both substituted production of cash crops

for food crops

Why was the completion of the Suez Canal cause for international celebration?

It greatly decreased the time needed to travel from Europe to East

Africa and Asia

PERSIA PRESSURED TO CHANGE

Persia• Russian and Britain compete to put the

country in their sphere of influence

Russia• Access to the Persian Gulf and Indian

OceanEngland• Wanted Afghanistan as a buffer between

India and RussiaOil found in 1908• Persian rulers began to grant

concessions to Western business• Anglo-Persian Oil Company – British

Petroleum

Battle Over Tobacco

Tensions arose between rulers and the people

1890 – Nasir al-Din sold concessions to the British to export tobacco• Jamal al-Din al-Afghani set up a

tobacco boycott• Forced Nasir al-Din to cancel the

concession1907 – Russia and Britain take control of the country and divide into spheres of inflenece

Why did the discovery of oil in Persia increase the value of the

Ottoman territory?

The oil had to pass through Ottoman land

to Europe

What advantages did granting business concessions to Western countries offer Persia?

Income, development of their resources, and participation in world

events

How did Persia’s granting of concessions eventually lead to its takeover by Britain and Russia?

Concessions allowed Western countries to establish an economic

foothold in Persia, which they exploited when the Persian

government lost control of the coutnry