Norwich bulletin., 1915-03-16
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Turkey-'While the fate of Turkey hangs in the balance, her destruction threatened by the alliance of two countries whose past rivalries pre- served to her what she has in Europe today" says a statement just issued by the National Geographic Society, ''is is interesting to go back and fol- low her down through the centuries that mark the waxing and the wan ing of the Crescent in Southeastern Europe.
 Tn 1190 the map of Europe was vastly different from what 1t is today. Practically all of what is now Greece and European Turkey was then the Eastern Roman Empire. Constanti- nople was it's capital, and it was in control of the DardanelleS and the Bosphorus as much as Turkey has been recently. Russia at that time did not approach nearer than l50 miles of the Black Sea.
 Across in Asia, south of the eastern half of the Black Sea, was the Sultan ate of Iconium, and east of the Med iterranean and in eastern Africa were the dominions of Saladan.
 AS the years went by the forces or the Crescent gradually extended themselves through Asia Minor, and before the passing of many genera tions they were laundering at the gates of Europe across the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In vain did Emperor John VI appeal to Europe to help stay the tide, and in 1453 the cloud that had loomed up across the horizon of the East for several cen turtles. descended upon Constantinople and southeastern Europe.
 With 8 foothold in Europe, the Turks realized that they could main | tain it only by a process of eXpan- sion. And European politics at that time, just as in all the centuries that have succeeded until now, prevented ! Christian Fl1rnnn from uniting against ! Mohammedan Turkey.
 1 But the several countries of Europe were too busy with their own partic- i ular affairs and too jealous of one an man invasion. The result was thai by the middle of the sixteenth century | Turkey included all of the Balkan peninsula, Greece, Moldavia, Transyl- { vania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and thar part of Hungary east of a line drawr north and south half way betweer 1 Budapest and Vienna.
 "As the generations passed, how l ever, Turkish power in Europe begar to Wane. In her stock taking after l the treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt l Turkey found her European dominion. with what they were in the middle O. 1 the sixteenth century. Hungary ha6 pushed back the invader several hun. | dred miles to the east and south, ana 1 dAhSS4d Ildd tIO"ocd HlIl OpI Ol one O his footholds on the Black Sea. Where formerly the Turk controlled the en- tire region around the Black Sea, Rus sia had now driven him out of tn, land of Georgians and had gotten { short streth of the coast of the Blacl Sea.
 But Turkey was still left in pos
 session of the mouth of every rivel I entering that sea, including the Don the Dnieper, the Dniester and tn. Danube. She had lost Greece, but a the same time had sort of recon. pense in Crete and Cyprus.
 "In the century that followed man1 things happened. By 1810 Russia hat lost control of the Georgian coast O the Black Sea, but she secured in ex cupied by the mouths of the Don, thi Dnieper and the Dniester. In tn. next five years there was still anothe story to te1l-Russia had forced he way around the Black Sea to tn, mouth of the Danube on the west, ant almost to its farthereSt extremity o7 the east.
 And then came the century tha has passed since the remaking of tn, map of Europe after Napoleon hat sent it to the rappile. Everything went fairly well with the Turk unti the middle Seventies. When Servis and Montenegro revolted agains Turkish rule Russia, then in a secre alliance with Austria for the division of the spells, encouraged the revolt.
 After many negotiations betweel the powers, Russia finally went t. war with Turkey, with the under standing that if she won. Austria wal to get Herzegovina and Bosnia in re turn for her acquiescence in the move Russia won and negotiated a peac, with Turkey which was distasteful t Great Britain, Germany and Austria They demanded that they be permit ted to have a voice in the matter ana Russia, with her land route to Con. stantinople threatened by Austria anG her Black Sea route by the British | navy aquiesced.
 The result was the calling of tn. Congress of Berlin. And that Con gress was a great disappointment u Russia and greater blow to Turkey It did not give Russia what sh, thought she ought to have, and yet i took away from Turkey perhaps mort than Russia would have taken. 1t se up the Balkan States, Servia amons | them, and by so doing started tha long chain of diplomatic negotiation and intr1gues that thaye been so dis astrous to Turkey in the past third O. Il 2 century"
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