The wars of Turkey: a list, description, history and consequences. Civil war in Turkey: history, consequences and interesting facts

The wars of Turkey - one of the most relevant and interesting topics not only in historical science, but also in modern political science. For several centuries, this country, which was the core of the Ottoman Empire, waged wars in a variety of ways, including in Europe. The study of this problem makes it possible to understand many realities of the present life of this state.

The struggle for the southern borders

The result of the confrontation of our country with the empire was the first war with Turkey, which occurred in the 1568-1570's. Then the Sultan tried to capture Astrakhan, which belonged to the Moscow state. At the same time, the construction of a canal between the Volga and the Don began. However, this attempt by the Turkish side to consolidate its positions at the mouth of the first river ended in failure: the Russian detachment sent from the capital forced the enemy to lift the siege, and his fleet was killed as a result of the storm.

The second war with Turkey occurred in 1672-1681. Then the ruler of the empire tried to strengthen his position in the Right-Bank Ukraine. Hetman was proclaimed a vassal of the Sultan, after a while both started a war against Poland. Then the Moscow Tsar declared war to defend his position in the Left Bank Ukraine. The main struggle unfolded for the capital of Hetman Chigirin, who alternately passed from hand to hand. Eventually, Russian troops were pushed out from there, however, Moscow retained its former positions, while the sultan consolidated in the hetman section.

Struggle for access to the sea

Turkish wars with European states were conducted in 1686-1700. At this time on the continent was formed the Holy League for joint struggle. Our country joined this union, and in 1686 and 1689 the Russian troops under the command of V. Golitsyn flew to the Crimea, which, however, ended unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, six years later Peter I captured Azov, which was annexed to the territory of our country.

Turkey's wars with Russia were mainly connected with the desire of the latter to get the right to keep their fleet on the south coast. This was a task of paramount importance for the imperial government, which in 1735 sent Russian troops under the command of B. Minich to the Crimea. Initially, the army acted successfully, it managed to seize a number of fortresses, but because of the outbreak of the plague, she was forced to retreat. The events on the front where Austria acted as an ally of the country were also unsuccessfully developing, which failed to push the Turks from their positions. As a result, Russia did not achieve its goal, although Azov retained its position.

Catherine's time

The wars of Turkey in the second half of the 18th century were not so successful for this country. It was during the two successful companies that Russia gained access to the Black Sea and consolidated its coast, having the right to keep its navy here. This was a great success, which consolidated the position of the young empire in the southern region. The conflict began because of the Sultan's claim that the Russian troops crossed the borders of his state. At first, the Russian troops did not act very well and were pushed aside. However, in 1770 they managed to reach the Danube, and the Russian fleet won a number of victories at sea. The biggest victory was the transition of Crimea under the protectorate of Russia. In addition, a number of territories between the rivers moved to our country.

Thirteen years later a new war broke out between the states, the results of which consolidated the victories and new territorial acquisitions of our country. According to the Treaty of Yass, the peninsula was finally fixed for the empire, and a number of Danubian princedoms also moved to it. These two wars strengthened the status of our country as a maritime power. Since then, she has received the right to keep her fleet at sea, has significantly expanded its territory in the south.

Conflicts in the 19th Century

Twelve wars in Russia and Turkey were associated with a confrontation for possession of southern regions and the sea coast, which was strategically important for both powers. At the beginning of the century, the reason for a new confrontation was the intervention of the Turkish side in the internal affairs of the Danubian principalities, whose rulers were removed from power without agreement with the allies. This step was taken at the instigation of the French government, which expected to delay the forces of the Russian army from the European theater of military operations. As a result of long conflicts that lasted for six years, the Turkish side abandoned Bessarabia, and the Danube principalities gained autonomy.

In 1828-1829 a new war broke out between the states. This time, the immediate cause was the struggle of the Greeks for independence. Russia joined the convention of France and England. The powers declared Greece autonomy, and the eastern coast of the Black Sea withdrew to our country.

The struggle in the middle of the century

The wars of Russia with Turkey continued in the second half of the 19th century. The most serious confrontation occurred in 1853-1856. Nicholas I sought the liberation of the Balkan states from Ottoman rule and therefore, despite the possibility of creating an anti-Russian alliance of the leading European powers, introduced troops to the Danube princedoms, in response, the Sultan declared war on our country.

At first, the Russian fleet won, but the following year, England and France intervened in the conflict, after which the Russian forces began to suffer defeats. Despite the heroic siege of Sevastopol, the Turks gained the upper hand. The peculiarity of this struggle was that military operations were also taking place on the Black Sea coast, the Pacific Ocean, and the White Sea. As a result of the defeat, Russia lost the right to keep the fleet on the Black Sea coast, and also lost a number of its possessions.

Recent campaigns

The wars between Russia and Turkey affected the interests not only of these states, but also of other powers. The next conflict occurred during the reign of Alexander II. This time, the Russian troops won a series of high-profile victories, as a result of which our country again regained the right to keep the fleet on the Black Sea, moreover, some territories inhabited by Armenians and Georgians have withdrawn to our country. The last confrontation occurred during the First World War. Despite the fact that the Russian army won a number of victories and advanced deep into the territory, nevertheless, these territories were not annexed to Soviet Russia. The main result of this struggle should be considered the disintegration of both empires.

Movement for Independence

The war for Turkish independence continued in 1919-1923. It was headed by Mustafa Kemal, who united national forces against the occupiers who captured a large part of the country's territory. This state as an ally of Germany was in the camp of the losers and was forced to accept the terms of the truce, according to which the Entente countries occupied its regions. The events began with the occupation of the Greek troops of the city of Izmir. After that, the French forces also landed on the peninsula. This caused the rise of the national liberation movement headed by Kemal Ataturk.

Events on the Eastern and Western fronts

The Turkish wars, whose history is closely connected with Russia, continued in the 20th century. The new government expected first of all to protect itself from Armenia. The Turks managed to win and sign an agreement with the Soviet authorities on friendship. This was a very important event for both states, as they were in political isolation in the international arena. After this, Kemal concentrated all his efforts on the liberation of Constantinople, which was occupied by the Allies. The latter tried to form a new government, but they failed because the bulk of the Turks went over to the Atatürk national-liberation front.

The war with France

In 1916-1921, Turkish forces opposed the French army, settled in Cilicia. The struggle came with varying success, and only after the Greeks were stopped, Kemal moved to active action. However, success was mainly enshrined in diplomatic negotiations, during which both sides managed to reach an agreement. This became possible due to the fact that French finances were invested in the Turkish economy, and both countries were interested in normalizing relations. The main result of the struggle for independence was the abolition of the Sultan and the transformation of the state into an independent secular republic.

Current situation

The socio-political situation in the country today has been extremely tense. One of the most acute problems is the issue of the Kurdish population, which has been fighting for the creation of its own state for several decades. Based on the latest developments, many political analysts and analysts say that there is a real civil war in Turkey. The situation is also aggravated by the fact that in the country that is a secular state, the positions of Islam are still quite strong, and this causes a number of contradictions between the official course and the mood of some part of the population.

Summing up what has been said, it can be noted that the most interesting fact in the above events is the fact that, after the beginning of the 20th century, there were no armed conflicts between our country and the Turkish state. Today, the internal situation in the country causes concern, which gives reason to some experts to say that there is a civil war in Turkey.