EasternQuestion

Abstract

The Eastern Question was a problem in international diplomacy which arose in the late eighteenth century, and was not resolved until the early twentieth. It resulted from the declining status of the Ottoman Empire, the dominant power in southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The main issue of contention was which powers would gain control of the territories gradually relinquished by the Ottomans as their empire disintegrated. This matter caused friction between the Great Powers of Europe – Britain, France, Austria, and Russia especially – on account of their own ambitions and rivalry in the region. The Greek War of Independence, the Don Pacifico Affair, the Crimean War, the various Balkan Crises of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and ultimately the First World War can all be seen as resulting, entirely or in part, from the Eastern Question.