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Balkan history and geography
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Crimean War
The Crimean War was a turning point in European History because the Concert of Europe was broken down, establishing a new diplomatic situation in Europe; however, there was many new technological advances, such as the railroad, that made more of an impact to European history, and even the Crimean War itself. The war worsened the relationship between Russia and Austria; the balance of power was shifted from Austria to France. In 1854, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia fought against Russia, because control over the declining Holy Land had caused tension between France and Russia. After the war had concluded in 1856, Russia and Austria became enemies despite their previous alliance, Russia
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gave up Bessarabia, Russia accepted the neutrality of the Dead Sea, and Moldavia and Wallachia were divided upon the five, major, European powers. The Crimean War caused for the Russian-Austrian alliance to end.
Before the war, Russia and Austria formed the Holy Alliance; however, during the Crimean War, Austria threatened war against Russia if they didn’t accept the agreement on the basis on Vienna Four Points, which stated that the guarantee of the independence of Moldavia and Wallachia and the abandonment of the Russian claim to protect the Christian subjects of Turkey. Russia thought that Austria would support her in the Crimean War as they supported Austria in 1848 revolution, but in the end, Austria supported Ottoman Empire. Austria’s decision and interest to weaken Russian powers, displayed nationalism for one of the first times in European History in an impactful war, because Austria did not have their former alliance in mind; they had expansion in mind. The Crimean War also shifted the balance of power from Austria to France. Austria was able to take initiative to maintain balance of power and suppress revolution during Metternich Era and 1848 Revolution, and because Congress, for the conclusion of the Napoleonic War was held in Vienna. However, during the war, Austria failed to take initiative to stop Russia. France and Britain were the only countries to declared war on Russia after Russia rejected the proposal to settle the dispute of the diplomatic situation in Europe. Napoleon III of France, wanted France to be a great empire. The Crimean war was a turning point in 19th century as century-long alliances had shifted, and a new balance of power was established amongst the major European
nations. The Industrial Revolution was also a turning point in European History because it shifted the economy, the social classes, and the culture within europe, which would then go on to spread throughout the world. Before the Industrial Revolution, most work was done by hand. All trades were done by hand. Waterpower came into use for all kinds of machinery. By 1800, steam power took over for waterpower. The average British person born in 1760 saw more change than the ten generations before theirs. Machines in factories were used to mass produce cloth textiles, other machines from iron, and etc. Next, came the steam-powered locomotives. Railroads revolutionized transportation and trade in Europe. The Crimean War was a turning point in European History because the Concert of Europe was broken down, establishing a new diplomatic situation in Europe; however, there was many new technological advances, such as the railroad, that made more of an impact to European history, and even the Crimean War itself.
He felt that several forces of opposing countries took part in fighting each battle and ultimately believed that global opposition caused the Great War. Similarly, in the Balkan Region, several ethnic minorities desired independence from Austria-Hungary. As shown in Document 3, the Austro-Hungarian government demanded that action be taken regarding propaganda against Austria-Hungary. This ultimatum was a result of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was killed by a Serbian nationalist. Russia, a large Slavic nation, has close ties with Serbia.
In document 3 Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria, writes a letter to Maria Antonia, a German ally. She writes about how their mutual enemy, King Frederick of Prussia is at full strength and he will attack. As an empress Maria Theresa writes out of fear for her country and her allies. She says that she had hoped to move troops back into the territory that Frederick seized. Having to play defense and not being able to expand was a major hurdle for Austria. Looking at this from the other side, document 4 is a letter from King Frederick of Prussia to his foreign minister after experiencing a series of defeats by the Austrians. In this letter he addresses Prussia’s need to become allies with the Ottoman Turks. He also says that it may be time to start peace negotiations. As the leader of Prussia he is frantic and nervous. This shows not only the difficulty of fighting against other strong European powers but also how dangerous it is to rely on allies. An additional type of document that could provide further information would be a letter from Saxony, the German state and ally of Austria. This could provide further insight as to what was going on Often times the biggest obstacles in the way of Europeans struggling for power was other Europeans struggling for
Answer the following: Is it valid to call the War of 1812 "America's worst-fought war"? Was the cause of the failure essentially military, or was it an inevitable result of the political disunity over the war's purposes? Provide support for your stance and "discredit" the opposing view. Maximum of 2 pages/ 15 Points
Russia felt obligated to protect Serbia due to the fact that a significant number of the Russian population shared a Slavic ethnicity with the Serbian people. Tsar Nicholas II gave the offical orders to prepare for war on the 30th of July, two days after Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia. Germany the preceded to declare war against Russia officially on the 1st of August and since the Russia was under threat, the rest of the European powers were dragged into the war in order to oblige to the alliances. Therefore it can be argued that because of Russia, the rest of European powers had to be brought into the conflict, making it a World War.
This feeling spread widely throughout Europe during the 19th and 10th centuries and caused many problems. The Slavic people of Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to break away from Austria-Hungary and unify with other Slavic nations. Russia as a Slavic nation backed up the two countries in this matter, therefore causing tensions between Austria-Hungary and itself. Nationalism was also a source of anger between France and Germany as France resented its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Alliances between European nations can also be considered an underlying cause of World War I. As a result of the Triple Alliance consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, the Triple Entente (understanding) was formed between France, Britain, and Russia.
Alliances were a key contributor to the war. Europe was generally divided into two groups of nations. One on one side was Triple Alliance which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and for a short time Italy. On the other side was the Triple Entente which also consisted of France, England and Russia. When Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist, Austria logically pointed the finger of blame to the Serbian government. Because of the ethnic ties, Russia quickly sided with Serbia. G...
The alliance system resulted in Europe splitting into two armed camps. According to the map, the Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente consisted of Great Britain, France, and Russia (Document 2). Since the major powers of Europe had agreed to cooperate with one other, if a clash were to occur it would most likely turn into a worldwide war. As shown in Document 7, Germany’s rise in power threatened France and England who then formed a defensive alliance. Due to the alliance system, each country had a different view as to who started the war. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, it brought Russia and France into conflict against Germany and Austria-Hungary.
There was a long-standing rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Russia due to their interests in the Balkans. Russia saw her role as leading and supporting her fellow Slav peoples in the Balkans. This Pan-Slav concept provided an ideal excuse to interfere in the Balkans and to extend Russia's influence towards the Eastern Mediterranean. Ideally Russia wished to open the Dardenelles straits to its warships. Austria-Hungary was concerned that this Russian encouragement of nationalism may threaten her borders and inspire nationalism within her own empire. In turn, Germany recognised that as Austria's closest ally her fate was linked with that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria-Hungary was anxious to prevent Russian encroachment in the Balkans. This aim would be best served by the elimination of Serbia, Russia's Balkan ally. In 1878, Russia was humiliated at the Congress of Berlin when her proposal for a Greater Bulgarian state was rejected and Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia to maintain order amongst the nationalist revolts.
Even though Wilhelm the Crown Prince of Germany once said "Certainly diplomatic dexterity can, and should, postpone the conflict for a time, and at times disentangle the difficulties. Certainly all those in authority must and will be fully conscious of their enormous responsibility in the grave hour of decision. They must make it clear to their own minds that the gigantic conflagration, once enkindled, cannot be so easily or so quickly extinguished." (Doc B) This can be taken as alliances help resolve tensions and ensure peaceful times. World War 1 was driven by Mutual Alliances instead of it being driven by the best interests of the nation or country like it should have been. Because General von Moltke [head of the army] said: I believe war is unavoidable; war the sooner the better. But we ought to do more to press to prepare the popularity of a war against Russia. The Kaiser supported this. Tirpitz [head of the navy] said that the navy would prefer to see the postponement of the great fight for one and a half years."(Doc E) Which can be taken as how some areas wanted to go to war because it would be better finically better for the country if they won, also it has the chance for countries to expand. And For example, In case one of the High Contracting Parties should find itself at war with a fourth Great Power, the two others shall maintain towards it benevolent neutrality and shall devote their efforts to the localization of the conflict."(Source A) Meaning that although war is generally good for the economy and even though the other powers that be didn’t start or help with a war they still had to help out with it.
The battle of Stalingrad may have very well been the most important battle over the course of World War II. Not necessarily remembered for its course of fighting, the battle is more known for its outcome. Not only did the battle turn out to be a major turning point in the war, it may have saved most of Eastern Europe from incomparable destruction. The battle included two of the biggest political and military icons of their time, Stalin and Hitler.
One of the causes of World War One was the Alliances. These were settlements or oaths to defend and help other countries. It was a thought that alliances would calm things down and make peace, and in case of war others would protect each other, so it would be harder to fight with that country. In 1914 the most powerful countries in Europe were divided into opposite Alliances, The Triple Alliance and the Central Powers or the Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Triple Entente was made up of Britain, France and Russia. European Alliances had a major part of being in the war. These two powers were very worried about being attacked after all of the tension from Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism. To make sure these countries weren’t attacked and defeated these alliances were formed. Germany and Austria-Hungary made an alliance but they made it secretly in 1879, after this happened Italy joined this Dual Alliance to form the Triple Alliance because it was annoyed with France for stopping its plans to col...
...w that the Ottoman Empire was at a weak point at the end of the Seven Years’ and all she needed to do was send in my forces to defeat the Turkish navy. As an end result her outstanding military gained control over the Black Sea and gained rights to send ships through the Ottoman Empire’s straits. The second Russo-Turkish War lasted from 1787 to 1792 and the Ottoman Empire attempted to regain the lands they had lost in the last Russo-Turkish War. But yet again, Catherine’s army was to skilled, tough, and large for the Turks to defeat. Instead of the Ottoman Empire trying to regain land, the Russians gained control of Crimea and the Yedisan region. Catherine the Great established authority throughout Europe by winning wars against powerful Empires like the Ottoman. Other countries learned to fear the Russian military, and compromise with Catherine then call for war.
Russia was expanding into the Danube region, which is now today Romania. The Danube region was under the Turkish control. Therefore, Turkey declared war on Russia in 1853. The French and the British entered in March 1854 due to the fear of the Russian expansion. They feared Russia would soon begin continuing pushing down, and then eventually try to expand into British India through Afghanistan. During the upcoming years to the war, France, Russia, and Britain were all fighting for the influence in the Middle East, but mostly with Turkey. Religious differences definitely played the biggest role in the Crimean War. The access to religious sites in the Holy Land caused most of the tension between Catholic France and Orthodox Russia for many years. Russia made an issue of the fact that the holy sites of Christianity such as The Crimean War was one of the first battles to use modern explosive naval shells, railroads, and telegraphs. The war was one of the first to be documented extensively in written reports and photographs. As the legend of the "Charge of the Light Brigade" demonstrates, the war quickly became an iconic symbol of logistical, medical and tactical failures and
Germany had allied itself with Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Three Emperors’ League, but Austria-Hungary and Russia were not the best of friends, partly because they were at odds over the Balkans and partly because Russia represented the Pan-Slavic movement, whose program threatened the very existence of Austria-Hungary. The Treaty of San Stefano (1878), following the Russo-Turkish War, furthered the cause of Pan-Slavism through the creation of a large Bulgarian state and offended Austria-Hungary as well as Great Britain. A European conference (1878; see Berlin, Congress of), called to revise the treaty, caused a sharp decline in the friendship between Russia on the one hand and Austria-Hungary and Germany on the other; Bismarck formed (1879) a secret defensive alliance—the Dual Alliance—with Austria-Hungary. 3
However, as the British government stated, the problem of universal Alliance for the peace and happiness of the world had only ever been one of speculation and had never been put into practice. The balance of powers had many successes, such as the completion and implementation of the federal constitution of Germany; the suppression of revolutions in Naples, Piedmont, Spain, and the Danubian Principalities by international action, without serious European quarrels; the prevention of war between Russia and Turkey for seven years (1821 to 1828), and a moderate end to that war after it did break out; the prompt recognition of a new government in France after the revolution of 1830; the prevention of international conflict in 1830-1832 over revolts in Italy, Germany, and Poland; the managing of civil wars in Spain and Portugal without great-power conflict. However, it fell apart during the Crimean War. The system worked to try and stop any changes to the status quo, which might cause even the slightest possibility of a revolution or new beliefs forming. In addition to limiting the sovereignty of states, the balance of powers forced smaller states to accept solutions decided by the great