Ottoman Empire: The Sick Man of Europe

Finn O’Malley

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The Sick Man of Europe Throughout it’s history, the Ottoman Empire played an influential role on not only its neighboring countries, but on the world as a whole. From its creation in the 1400’s to its zenith under Suleyman in the 1600’s, the Ottoman Empire was largely successful. However, in the 17th through 20th centuries it went into a period of decline, eventually ending in its collapse in the early 20th century. It was due to this long period of decline that the Ottoman Empire became known as the Sick Man of Europe. The title of Sick Man of Europe given to the Ottoman Empire was accurate as they were going through a period of fatal decline due to decreased military power, the rise of nationalism, and economic deterioration.

Nationalism, which means that, people believe not only in being loyal to their nation or state but believe in its independence, resulted in many problems for the Ottoman government. The notion of nationalism first came about with the Greeks and the Serbs, who had the most influence from Russia and the Western World. As a result, revolts which were supported by the Russians quickly escalated in the Balkans, leaving the New Ottomans, who had just taken power, with a significant problem. With the threat of Western intervention looming, the New Ottomans decided to draft a constitution that would fail miserably to the point of its suspension during the ensuing Russo-Turkish War. The root cause of the Ottoman’s problems with nationalist uprisings was the fact that the people of the Empire did not consider themselves Turks. As a result, they had no problem betraying the Empire once nationalist movements, which appeared more beneficial to their individual nation, arose. These nationalist revolts led to a large decrease in territory while also reducing the number of troops the Ottomans had access to, further advancing the snowball effect of their decline. The final, and perhaps greatest factor which led to the demise of the Ottoman Empire was their failing economy. One of the major reasons for their economic weakness was the shift in trade in which Europeans traded directly with Asia, leaving

Although it had a strong military for many years, its failure to westernize made it outdated and weak. The rise of nationalism within the Empire’s territories, especially in the Balkans, furthered the waning of Ottoman territory while also weakening the military. Lastly, a long period of economic uncertainty added to the long list of problems with the Ottoman state. In short, the one main reason why the Ottoman Empire was the sick man of Europe was because of their failure to adapt to the new world, which resulted in centuries of deficiency, leading to the Empire’s eventual transformation into the Republic of Turkey.

Works Cited

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Goldschmidt, Arthur, and Lawrence Davidson. A Concise History of the Middle East. 10th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2013.

Johnson, Rob. "The Decline of the Ottoman Empire, c. 17-98-1913." History Review, September 2005,