Surpression of the April Uprising-Europe in shock

Only Russia wanted to chase the ottomans away from the Balkans because it wanted to control Constantinople so that it's trade and military fleet can access the mediterranean.England wanted to preserve the ottoman empire because a russian military fleet in the mediterranean would be dangerous for the english ships coming through the Suez Canal from India.It also needed to preserve it because the ottoman empire had no industry and in could sell to it anything it wants.
France also didn't want freedom for the Bulgarians because these lands were fertile and the ottomans wouldn't be able to repay their enormous loans.It also wanted to sell all kinds of production there since they were an industrial country like England and Germany and ottoman empire didn't even have a good developed manufacture.

Article from the french newspaper "Spectateur De Orient" from September 1853:

"The merchant forces of the west have an interest of the existence of an enormous and barbaric country to the east without manufacture or industry and without a modern governmental system so that they could sell it their production without fear of rivalry,or tariffs,and so that they could exploit it for their own gain"

They clearly meant the ottomans since there was no other big country in the east at that time.




Edited by Liudovik_Nemski - 07-Apr-2007 at 09:19

Originally posted by Liudovik_Nemski Only Russia wanted to chase the ottomans away from the Balkans

No.Germany and Austria(Austro-Hungaria)wanted it too.Austria because of its territory ambitons aiming to increase its own influence on the balkans.And of course to rival Russia.Germany supported that aim because they wanted to weaken French and British interests and power.Ottoman empire was almost half-colony of these states thats why Germany kept neutrality during the russo-turkish war 1877-1878.Austria also guarantee neutrality in the Raichstadt agreement between Russia and Austria in which Russia promised not to create a large slavic state on the Balkan peninsula.

Originally posted by Liudovik_Nemski So?In politics there are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies just because of one fact.The british wanted the turks not to lose territories because that weakened russia since it wanted passage in the mediterranean as i said above and also wanted the territories south up until the Persian Gulf.In other words-putting the supply lines from India to england in great danger in case war breaks.During the Russo-turkish war in 1877-78 after the April uprising the british even transported with their own ships an turk army from Albania lead by suleiman pasha to help the other troops on the balkans.

The british government even encouraged ottoman authorities to use all forces to put down bulgarian uprising.

Originally posted by Kapikulu [QUOTE=Liudovik_Nemski] Well, you used the word "Balkans" and used it for a broad timespan and as far as I can understand from this word in common sense, it is not Bulgaria, but a much wider piece of soil. If there hadn't been an official change in the names in last two hours I watched 7 pm news.

Tsaritsa(empress) Katherine II showed interest in conquering the whole Balkans during her reign.This was followed by the russian tzars later on but their hopes soon diminished and their only hope was to take Constantinople.Their last chance was when they tried to liberate Bulgaria-all the united lands with Bulgarian population formed the largest state in the Balkans(more than Romania+Serbia(not the modern ones) taken both) and thus more power for them(since they were thinking that Bulgaria could become a puppet state but Stephan Stambolov and the russophobes took good care of that.)

And by controlling the biggest state there they could get closer to taking Constantinople from the turks but the english and french tried everything possible to minimise the Bulgarian state and completely crushed their chances.