The Eastern Question as a Europe question: Viewing the ascent of ‘Europe’ through the lens of Ottoman decline

Abstract

During the nineteenth century, the decline of the Ottoman Empire emerged as a central issue in European politics and society. While this so-called ‘Eastern Question’ has long featured in diplomatic histories, there has been little attention to how ‘Europe’, as place and idea, may have developed in tandem with the events and dynamics that made up the Eastern Question. This article looks at three major events in the narrative of the Eastern Question to demonstrate how Europeans were – and still are – influenced by their relationship to and role in Ottoman decline, noting how such events produced experiences and values now associated with what, where and why ‘Europe’ is. Indeed, ongoing debates over the accession to the European Union of former Ottoman territories in south-eastern Europe and the Near East clearly exhibit the persistence of language, ideals and forms that were constructed during the era of the Eastern Question.