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The Congress of Berlin was a meeting of the European Great Powers' and the Ottoman Empire's leading statesmen in Berlin in 1878. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78, the meeting's aim was to reorganize conditions in the Balkans. Otto von Bismarck, who led the Congress, undertook to balance the distinct interests of Great Britain, Russia and Austria-Hungary. As a consequence, however, differences between Russia and Austria-Hungary intensified, as did the nationality question in the Balkans. The congress was aimed at the revision of the Treaty of San Stefano and at keeping Constantinople in Ottoman hands. It effectively disavowed Russia's victory over the decaying Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. The Congress of Berlin redistributed back to the Ottoman Empire certain Bulgarian territories that the previous treaty had given to the Principality of Bulgaria, most notably Macedonia.
Proceedings The Congress was attended by the British Empire, Austria-Hungary, France, the German Empire, Italy, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire . Delegates from Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro attended the sessions in which their states were concerned, but were not members of the congress. The congress was solicited by the rivals of the Russian Empire, particularly by Austria-Hungary and Britain, and hosted in 1878 by Otto von Bismarck. The Congress of Berlin proposed and ratified the Treaty of Berlin. The meetings were held at Chancellor Bismarck's residence, the Reichskanzlei (chancellory), the former Radziwill Palace, from June 13, 1878 until July 13, 1878. The congress revised or eliminated 18 of the 29 articles in the Treaty of San Stefano. Furthermore, using as a foundation the treaties of Paris (1856) and London (1871), the treaty effected a rearrangement of the Eastern situation. Main issues: The principal mission of the World Powers at the congress was to deal a fatal blow to the burgeoning movement of pan-Slavism. The movement caused serious concern in Berlin and particularly in Vienna, which was afraid that the repressed Slavic nationalities would revolt against the Habsburgs. London and Paris were nervous about the diminishing influence of the Ottoman Empire in the south and about Russian cultural expansion to the south, where both Britain and France were poised to colonize Egypt and Palestine. Through the Treaty of San Stefano, the Russians, led by chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, had managed to create the Bulgarian autonomous principality under Ottoman Empire's nominal rule, thus sparking British fears of growing Russian influence in the East (see also the Great Game). This state had access to the Aegean Sea and comprised a very large portion of Macedonia that could have at any time threatened the Straits that separate the Black Sea from the Mediterranean. This arrangement was not acceptable to the British Empire, which considered the entire Mediterranean to be, in effect, a British territory, and saw any Russian attempt to gain access there as a grave threat to its power. Thus, the British joined with the Austrians in moving for wholesale revision of San Stefano. Ceding to Russian pressure, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro were declared independent principalities. The full independence of Bulgaria, however, was denied. It was promised autonomy, and guarantees were made against Turkish interference, but these were largely ignored. The Dobruja was given to Romania; Montenegro obtained Niksic, Podgorica, and Antivari. The Turkish government, or Porte, agreed to obey the specifications contained in the Organic Law of 1868, and to guarantee the civil rights of non-Muslim subjects. Bosnia and Herzegovina were placed under the administration of Austria-Hungary. Russia agreed that Bulgaria should be split up into three parts. The southwestern part remained under Turkish rule. Eastern Rumelia became an autonomous province and the remainder was the new state of Bulgaria. Russia retained southern Bessarabia and Austria received the right to "occupy and administer" Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other matters Other similar changes to the boundaries of various political entities were wrought, and political stipulations were made that affected all of the nations in some way or other. The Great Powers agreed that the status of the Ottoman Empire was to be decided by the Powers jointly, and not by any one of them. It was the Berlin Congress where Bismarck is said to have proclaimed "Who is master of Bohemia is master of Europe." Legacy Italy was dissatisfied with the results of the Congress, and the situation between Greece and Ottoman Empire was left unresolved. The Bosnians and Herzegovinans would also prove to be a problem to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in later decades. The establishment of a border between Greece and Turkey failed to be accomplished. In 1881, after protracted negotiations, the Great Powers accepted the compromise offered by the Turkish Parliament. Neither nation was satisfied, however, and tensions continued until the Porte declared a war on Greece on April 17th, 1897. Fighting continued until Russia demanded that it be stopped, and an armistice was concluded on May 18, 1897. However more fighting lay ahead in the twentieth century. So, the congress sowed the seeds of further conflicts, including the Balkan Wars, and the First World War, and later events connected to these conflicts, such as the Armenian Genocide. Indeed, subsequent events vindicated Bismarck's famous parting words to a Turkish delegate: "This is your last chance—and if I know you, you will not take it." Delegates Great Britain Russia Germany Austria-Hungary France Italy Turkey Greece Serbia Romania and Montenegro also sent delegates. Sources | ||||||||
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