This research paper analyzes and compares the extent to which the international order in the west was destabilized by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and in the east by that of the Qing Dynasty. The slow decay and fitful decline of the Ottoman Empire culminating in its destruction at the end of World War I certainly influenced the balance of power in Eastern and Central Europe. The power vacuum thereby created had many disequibrilating consequences in the west which included political instability in the Balkans, conflicts among the Great Powers, the rise of strong powers such as Prussia and later Germany and Russia, the eventual disintegration of the Habsburg Empire and ultimately the decline of European preeminence. In part due to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East emerged as a cockpit of international tension, a condition which persists today. However, it is difficult to argue that what happened to the Ottoman Empire was the sole or primary cause of most of these developments. In contrast, the disintegration of the Manchu or Qing Chinese state in large measure led to the rise of rivalries among the European powers, Russia and Japan in East Asia. As a result of the Russo-Japanese war (over Manchuria and Korea, Chinese tributary states), Japan emerged as a dominant power in the region until its defeat by the United States and Russia's influence in the region declined. The failure of the Qing Dynasty to maintain order at first enabled Britain and France to expand their power in the region, but ultimately led to their eclipse as the United States by 1945 became the strongest power in the region, a position which is being challenged by China's growing military and economic power in the latter part of the 20th century.
Consequences of the Decline of the Ottoman Empire
The international position of the Ottoman Empire (1280-1922) steadily improved until the end of the 18th century. By then it controlled the Balka...