With what success did the Major Powers end rivalry and conflict in the Balkans?
With what success did the Major Powers end rivalry and conflict in the Balkans? The years 1870 – 1890 were a tumultuous period in the Balkans and involved many major powers who had influence over these historically ‘turbulent’ lands. Who were these major powers and with what success, if any, did they have in controlling events in the Balkans over these two decades? The major powers at the time were Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. The major powers all wanted their influence over this and some powers had territorial ambitions. The once mighty empire that had ruled lands from the east to the west under a caliphate with great leaders as Suleiman the Magnificent, now was in its final decades and the weakening of its empire brought about the ‘eastern question’ that is what is it that should be done with Ottoman Empire. With the continued misrule and corruption from Constantinople over its subjects in the Balkans and the high taxes levied upon the subjects to feed the burgeoning empire with indebtedness to loans from the West had created uprising and rebellion amongst the Bulgarians and the Christians in the Balkans. In response to disintegration of the empire, the Ottomans used enforced