şark meselesi ve Sevr antlaşması proje ödevi
What are the Eastern Question and the Treaty of Sèvres?
Answer:
The Eastern Question refers to the diplomatic and political problems posed by the decay of the Ottoman Empire, which was once a formidable power controlling vast territories in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and Southeast Europe. As the empire weakened during the 18th and 19th centuries, the major European powers engaged in a complex series of political and military conflicts, negotiations, and partition plans concerning the territories of the declining Ottoman Empire. This was primarily intended to safeguard European powers’ own strategic, commercial, and imperial interests in the region.
The Eastern Question is a historical term, encompassing several different issues at various times, including the fate of the Balkan peoples and territories, the protection of Christian minorities, the competition between the Great Powers for influence over the Ottoman domains, and the control of key strategic straits such as the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. The Crimean War (1853–1856) and the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) are examples of conflicts rooted in the Eastern Question.
The Treaty of Sèvres, signed on August 10, 1920, was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The treaty imposed harsh terms on the Ottoman Empire, including the renunciation of all non-Turkish land that the Empire held before World War I, and was intended to divide the land among the victorious Allied powers. It partitioned the Ottoman Arab provinces outside the Anatolian heartland of the Empire, leaving extensive territories to the French and British colonial empires. Furthermore, Greece was awarded control over Eastern Thrace and the Smyrna region. The treaty also proposed an independent Armenian state and an autonomous region for the Kurds. However, the Turkish National Movement, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, opposed the treaty and fought the Turkish War of Independence.
The Sèvres treaty was never ratified due to the military resistance from the Turkish nationalists and the subsequent renegotiations. Its terms were revised in the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which recognized the sovereignty of the new Republic of Turkey and replaced the Treaty of Sèvres. The Treaty of Lausanne established the internationally recognized borders of the modern Turkish state and abolished all the obligations of the Ottoman Empire created by the Sèvres Treaty.
The Eastern Question and the Treaty of Sèvres would make an interesting historical project as they address several crucial themes in modern history: the decline of empires, the reshaping of national boundaries, the rise of national self-determination, and the interplay between regional aspirations and international diplomacy. The aftermath of these events continues to influence the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the Balkans to this day.
Project Suggestions:
- Explore and compare the regional aspirations of different national groups within the Ottoman Empire before the Treaty of Sèvres.
- Investigate the role of European powers in shaping the outcome of the Eastern Question and the Treaty of Sèvres.
- Analyze Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s leadership and his impact on thwarting the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.
- Discuss the long-term geopolitical consequences of the Treaty of Sèvres and the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne in the Middle East and Balkans.
These themes provide a wealth of material to consider for a comprehensive and engaging project, reflecting on the complex historical processes of a critical period in world history.