The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire

The Ottoman empire collapsed as a direct result of military defeat in World War I. But the proximate cause should not cloud other issues that led to its demise. A major threat to the security of Christendom until the 16th century, and a European as well as Eastern power until the 20th century, the Ottoman empire had become known by the 19th century as the "sick man of Europe". How valid is the sobrique? What forces were at work within the empire promoting cohension and economic, social, and political progress? Beyond the collapse itself, what did the successor states owe to their predecessor - both in terms of possibilities and problems bequeathed? This analysis examines all the issues and provides not only a portrait of an empire in its final half-century but illustrates the roots of subsequent developments in a region that stretches from the borders of Hungary to those of Iran.