The document discusses the Near Eastern Crisis and the Eastern Question regarding the fate of the Balkans if the Ottoman Empire collapsed. The Great Powers pursued their own interests in the crises, sometimes supporting revolutionary change but more often the status quo. They did not consider the wishes of Balkan peoples. Britain had strategic interests in maintaining Ottoman control of the region to protect trade routes to India but also faced pressure to respond to Ottoman atrocities. The crises reflected international rivalries, unresolved problems, and the inability of local states and Great Powers to control the unstable situation in the Balkans.

1. The Near- Eastern Crisis
 "The Eastern Question" revolved around one issue: what should
happen to the Balkans if and when the Ottoman Empire disappeared
as the fundamental political fact in the South-eastern Europe? The
Great Powers approached each crisis with the hope of emerging with
the maximum advantage. Sometimes this led one or another to
support revolutionary change. More often, state interests led them to
support the status quo.
 The diplomacy of the Eastern Question went forward in disregard, and
often ignorance, of the wishes of the Balkan peoples. Because of its
traditions and structures, old-style diplomacy was poorly equipped to
deal with popular movements like nationalism. The diplomacy of the
Eastern Question began in the Early Modern Period, before modern
nationalism or representative governments. Diplomats from the Great
Powers did not take into account the wishes of their own citizens, so
why listen to Balkan peasants?
 Besides Turkey, there were six Great Powers during the late
nineteenth century: Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria-Hungary,
Italy and Germany. These states followed rather consistent Balkan
policies. Some of the Powers expressed an interest in the Balkan
population, but in a crisis each followed its own national security and
defence needs. When Great Powers made compromises, they did so
out of a belief in the tactical value of stability because the outcomes
and risks of war were too hard to predict. States also compromised to
retain their position as members of the "Concert of Europe," the legal
concept under which these large states gave themselves the right to
settle matters of war and peace. Policies crafted for such reasons often
failed to address the real, local causes of the repeated Balkan crises
which took up so much of Europe's attention in these years.
 During the period 1815 to 1878 (and in fact up to 1907, when Russia
and England allied against Germany) Great Britain was Russia's most
consistent rival for Balkan influence. British interests led to
intermittent support for Ottoman rule. Those trade routes passed
through areas like Suez that were nominally Turkish. The Turks
themselves were too weak to act as a threat, so British policy opposed
France, then Russia and eventually Germany, when those states
seemed most likely to get too much influence over a weak Turkey.

2.  Britain also had humanitarian interests in the Balkans: with the most
developed system of representative government in Europe and the
most influential popular press, London cabinets were under pressure
when Ottoman misrule led to uprisings, atrocities and repression.
Britain's strategic and humanitarian interests in the Ottoman parts of
the Balkans tended to be in conflict. In 1876, William Gladstone (a
past and future Prime Minister) wrote a pamphlet called "The
Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East" condemning the
massacres that the Turks carried out while suppressing the latest
Balkan revolt. After that year, no British cabinet could provide
unlimited support for the sultan. In 1853, Britain had gone to war
rather than see Russian influence grow in the Balkans, but when the
Russians invaded and defeated Turkey in 1877-78, Britain stood by.
British leaders instead adopted a new policy to protect the sea lanes to
India. In 1878 Britain took control of the island of Cyprus, and in
1883 occupied Egypt and the Suez Canal. With those outposts under
control, Britain's need to intervene on the Balkan mainland waned,
although Britain did keep an eye on Greece and Russia's privileges at
the Straits.
 Britain also had important trading interests within the Ottoman
Empire itself and later in the successor states. Short term profits,
political or economic, had to be balanced against long term interests.
Investors in railroads and state bonds preferred to take as much profit
as they could, as soon as they could; this tendency often pulled
resources out of Turkey that might have contributed to stability and
long term profit. In general, British capitalists tried to take as much
profit out of Turkey as possible, without fatally weakening the country
and killing the golden goose.
 Economic and social change, international rivalry and unsolved
problems combined to unsettle the Balkans. Neither local states nor
Great Powers could control the situation. The result was a succession
of Balkan crises, some of which had serious consequences for Europe
as a whole.

3. Map
I also found a lecture on YouTube, which you may want to listen to 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X50dz7wD_m0

4. other bits and bobs
1875: British Disraeli buys shares for Suez Canal
1875-78 –Balkan Crisis: Eastern Question. An uprising against the Ottoman Empire begins in Bosnia
and Herzegovina in 1875. The reason for this revolt was the heavy taxes levied against them from
the Ottoman administration. The revolt led to the 1876 Bulgarian April.
1876 – Serbia vs. Turkey (seeks Russian support, Russia says: western Balkans are under Austria’s
influence not Russia’s)
1877 – Russo-Turkish War– Shocked by atrocities committed against Bulgaria, Russia declares war
against Turkey. Russia wins leading to Treaty of San Stefano.
1878 – Treaty of San Stefano(Create a large independent state of Bulgaria, to be administered by
Russia. Russia receives access to Bulgaria’s coast-line on the Aegean Sea. Russia also receives
access to the Danube from Romania. Russia is allowed passage through the Dardanelles. Serbia,
Romania, Montenegro were recognized as independent. Russia received land in Georgia and
Armenia.This is the highpoint of Russia’s near eastern policy.
1878 – Congress of Berlin – Bismarck – ‘Honest Broker’ (took away Russia’s gains from San Stefano,
Bulgaria was divided into 3 parts, coastline part and Macedonia were returned to Ottoman empire.
Austria-Hungary takes firm control of Bosnia-Herzegovina and jointly occupying the Sanjak of
Novibazar together with the Ottoman Empire. This state of affairs persisted from 1878 until the
outbreak of the crisis in 1908. The Treaty of Berlin also stated that the Straits of Constantinople

5. would be closed to warships during time of war. This had the effect of bottling up the Russian fleet in
the Black Sea.
Effects: Russia humiliated, felt hostile towards UK (afraid of Russian advances to the south, as they
may threatened British control of the Suez canal) and Austria-Hungarywho wanted land. Serbia
resents Austrian influence in Bosnia Herzegovina because Serbia wanted that land.