Eastern Question

The Eastern Question is a phrase used to refer to the strategic and diplomatic struggle between the European powers and the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire was a large country in the Middle East and Europe that had been ruled by the same family for hundreds of years. The problem for the Europeans was that the Ottoman Empire was weak and falling apart, so the Europeans wanted to take control of the area before someone else did. This was a difficult situation because the Ottoman Empire was very large, and the Europeans did not want to start a war. So the Europeans came up with a plan to try to outmaneuver each other and weaken the Ottoman Empire without going to war. This is known as the Eastern Question.