Europeans Claim Muslim Lands Section 3 Ch. 27

Ottoman Empire Loses Power Since 1566, when Suleiman I died, different groups had been fighting for power. At different times the Ottomans tried to modernize their empire All failed because of government corruption Nationalism caused the empire to begin splitting apart European powers looked for ways to take land from the Ottomans

The Crimean War Russian had always been trying to gain land on the Black Sea. Russia wanted access to the Mediterranean Sea. War broke out between Russia and the Ottomans, who controlled that land, in 1853. Britain and France entered the war on the Ottoman side because they wanted to prevent the Russians from gaining that land.

The Crimean War Though they won the war, the Ottomans continued to lose land They did not have enough power to keep their empire together By 1914, they had lost all of their African and European territory

Egypt Initiates Reforms Egypt modernized in an attempt to stop Europeans from trying to take over their land. They began to grow cash crops like cotton. They built the Suez Canal to connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt racked up $450 million in debt and couldn’t pay their European bankers. The British insisted that they take over financial control of the canal and occupied Egypt in 1882.

Persia Pressured to Change Russia and Britain competed to exploit Persia. Twice the Persians lost territory to the Russians and once to the British (Afghanistan). By 1907, the Russians and the British had divided Persia into spheres of influence. Once oil was discovered in 1908, the Persians had to hire Western companies to take the oil out the ground; they didn’t have the money themselves.