Emleton

Until the 1840s Russia had assumed the future of the Ottoman Empire was a matter to be
determined between Turkey and herself, with or without agreement with Austria, her traditional
ally.Thereafter it rapidly became a central issue in European politics. In the events leading up to
the Crimean War one can begin to detect the considerations that were ultimately to divide
Europe into two armed camps and lead to Wolrd War 1.8

The Turks advanced from their original Asiatic homeland into the near east, capturing
constantinople in 1453. By cutting acros the traditional trade routes they posed a problem for
Europe that triggered off the age of everseas discovery; they overran wtah is now know as the
balkan peninsula, twice coming to the walls of Vienna and requiring the comnined forces of
austria and poland to halt them; their presence on the mediterranean was an embarrassment to
shipping. At its peak in mid sixteenth century, under the Sultan Suleiman, this muslim ottoman
empire stretched from north africa to the caspiand and from mid danube do the indian ocean.8

Ass with so many empires succes was not maintained, and by the eighteenth century the ebb hat
set in, with corruption in government, court intriques, and millitary defeats by subject peoples.
The turk empire of the nineteenth century had lost his grip as an administrator. His decline
therefore created a marvellous oportunity for his neigbours, and others, to „fish in troubled
waters“. Until the 1850s turkey had tended to be isolated dipomatically and had not enyoed
extensive support from the West. 9

Russias lack of ice free ports has been one of the main influences on her foreign policy from
peter the great until today. She claimed a very special interest and role in the Sultan s balkan
lands on two other counts, religion and race. Hers was the largest country fallowing the
Orthodox church, and furthermore the inhavitants of wide areas south of the danube (bulgars and
serbs) were southern branch of the great slav race.9

Britains policy was peaceful because war interfered with trade and damage her industrial
production. However the basic concern of the british government was to preserve the security of
the Ottoman empire, thereby ensuring the overland rout to India, and preventing Russia from
becoming a mediterranean power. 10
Domestic events in france at mid-century had a direct bearing on the developing international
situation. Luj Filip abdicated early in 1848 after open insurrection in paris. After the altercation
over the electoral system, he stood down and the Second Republic was established.11

It looked at first as if this revolution in 1848, „the year of revolutions“ was to succsed; but it
quckly ran into trouble because of divided interests within and panic after a short period of chaos
caused france to look round for a „strong man“. Luj Napoleon, nephew of the emperor, emerged
to form a „party of order“ in the crisis. Elected president, he moved steadily towards personal
rule, helped by army and police. His personal despotism was such that hy the end of 1851. he
had put an end to the second republic, and in december 1852 he took on the imperial title.

For a period after 1815 Austria under count meternich had been the dominant state on the
continent, in general partnership with Russia. After 1848. and the Hungarian rising a certain
„cooling off“ in her relations with Russia appeared, as the Austrian empire comprised several
branches of the slav race, minorities subject to Vienna, which was bound to regard warily any
extension of the Czars influence in the adjacent balkan peninsula.

Ilustrated history of modern europe

At any rate england decided it was wiser notto strike a bargain of the sort suggested-though in
actual fact forty years later egypt was duly occupied by british troops and in 1915 england at war
with turkey, at last promised russia constantinople 194

Round Jerusalem there were certain holy places connected with the life of christ which were
traditional centres of pilgrimage for christians. The protection of these holy places had been
granted by an ancient treaty to france, but that country had long since ceased to trouble herself
about them. Accordingly Russia, a nearer neighbour, had fulfilled the functions neglected by
france, repaired the shrines, and generally stepped into the vacancy caused by french lack of
interest.
To land attack on the south it could offer little resistance, though from the sea, especially since
the allies had allowerd the russians time to block up the harbour by sinking ships, it was almost
untekeable. Accordingly the allied army was marched round to the south of the town, the
generals being so confident of rapid victory that orders were given for knapsacks, clothes, tents
and the like to be left behind- with a crimean winter approaching. When the commanders
seriosly examined the place, they decided that a preliminary bombardment was necessary. Since
the guns had now to be fetched and since it had not occured to the british war ofice to make
arrangements for the construction of the necessary five-mile railway from the base , the arillery
took three weeks to arrive. During this period the only commander in the district of any
pronounced ability, Todlebe, designed and constructed an elaborate series of earthwork defences
round the town. In fact, by the time the allies had finished their bombardment Sebastopol was
infinitely stronger then when they first arrived outside it. Not only that, but the Russians had by
now brought up further army of 100k men, which gave them in all about 140k agaubst 60,000 of
the allies. A more disastrous military decision than that of marshal st arnaud and lord raglan to
postpone the original assault it would be difficult to find. 196

Thus, on paper at least, the allies had registered a victory, In fact however, none of the objets
achieved bythe war on which the victors so congratulated themselves had the slightest
permanence. The black sea clause was rapuidated by russia while france was busy fighting
prussia 1870.200

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CRIMEAN WAR

They died on the bbattlefields, in hospitals, at sea and on the steppes, by bullet and shrapnel, of
cholera and disease, of starvation and by freezing. In Sevastopol alone over 102. 000 defenders
were killed, wounded or reported missing. Such was the crimean tragedy 32

Few wars in history reveal greater confusion of purpose or richer unintended consequences than
the crimean war. 32

The crimean war as a russo turkish conflict was one in a series which seemed to resurface every
generation: 1768-72, 1787-92, 1806-1812 i 1828-29, continuing on to 1875-78 and 1914-18. As
a war involving western powers, it was the first time that russia fought a european coalition, and
it was the first occasion in modern history thar britain and france found themselves figting on the
same side. 41

In 1815. after the tsar had led the coalition which vaquished napoleon, russia had appeared the
most powerful state in europe. Fallowing the revolutions of 1848, it became not a matter of mere
supremacy, but one of domination- russia was the superpower of the time. This was when
nicholas came to be called the gendarme de l europe.

Founded seventy years earlier, sevastopol had grown to become one of thre most formidable
naval citadels in europe – gibraltar and kronstadt being the other two. 250

Since the resounding victory at alma, three days had passed, and in that brief time raglan and st
arnaud failed twice to grasp golden opportunities to bring the entire campaign to a rapid end and
presumably therefore the war. 257

Рат је вођен против Русије, а не због наклоности према Турској.бзпуе 88

Crimea the great crimean war

Nazaret, vitlejem I jerusalim su bili kao magneti za evropske hodocasnike. 16

Nicholas disliked France because it seemed to him to be a centre of revolutionary thought, and
he had no time for napoleon 3 whom he considered an impostor. Alone among monarhchs he
refused to address him as my brother, or to use numeral 3.17

19,