Ottoman Empire

Before:

The Ottoman Empire was one of worlds largest imperial powers.

Their navy ruled the waters of the Mediterranean.

Their military power decreased significantly. Realizing they had weak military
they starting looking for alliances with European Nations.

The 19th century was tough for them because they struggled to maintain control
of their empire while they were dealing with external pressure and internal
turmoil. By the 1850s the situation was so outrages that they got the nick name
of The sick man of Europe.
Then they were confronted with rising nationalism and opposition, as ethnic and
regional groups demanded self-determination and independence.
The Ottoman Empire was also suffering from a failing economy.
They ruled the richest Empire but by the 1800s they were taken over by the
British, French and other European powers, and by the 1870s they owed more
than 200 million pounds to European banks.
By the mid-1800s the empires internal problems left them no choice but to turn
to modernization.

the Edict of Tanzimat introduced sweeping European inspired reforms to ottoman military
organization, farming, public administration, even uniforms and dresses.
In 1876 a group of Ottomans, who had been educated in European universities, started a
short-lived revolution: they overthrew the sultan, drafted a liberal constitution and backed a
moderate leader to rule as a constitutional monarch. It did not last, however it was revived in
1908 by the Young Turk movement, which restored the constitution and the Ottoman
Parliament.

Britain and Germany hoped the Ottomans could hold their empire together and
continue serving as a buffer against the territorial ambitions of AustriaHungary and Russia.