The Sick Man of Europe (B)


Season 2018 / 2019 – Talk 10 B – The Sick Man of Europe and the Berlin Conference of 1878 (B)

Peter Duffy tells us about the fate of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire in The Sick Man of Europe and the Berlin Conference of 1878.

The conference led to changes in the countries allocated to the different European Empires in both the Balkans and Mediterranean. The Sick Man of Europe and the Berlin Conference of 1878 describes the different policies driving the key attendees.

Britain was keen to protect the Suez Canal and India from Russian aspirations and so supported Turkey. In addition Britain gained Cyprus at the conference. Austro Hungary received states in the Balkans. Germany wanted to consolidate its position and alliances.

The ‘carve up’ described in The Sick Man of Europe and the Berlin Conference of 1878 ultimately laid the foundations for the First World War.

Click here to open the presentation that accompanies this talk.

Please note: there is a slight echo on the recording and some disturbance from builders renovating the room next to the meeting room.

The Farnham U3A site is at Farnham U3A Home Page.

The music Media Magazine used in this podcast is licensed from AKM Music.

© The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham U3A History Group 2019

Author: Tim D

In the early 1970s Mr Timothy & his Phonograph was a popular mobile disco around Leeds University and Tim was known as MrT. Tim also spent 9 years broadcasting a weekly programme on Hospital Radio in Wakefield. He worked for more than 40 years for large industrial organisations and spent his last 15 years in global commercial management roles. Following retirement he started making podcasts in 2017.