China has a long history, and ancient China is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world. As in ancient China, the rise of a nation often depended on many different factors: geographical location, content of resources, religious beliefs, the masses of the people, the leadership of the rulers, and so on. And to let a prosperous big country in the past decline until its demise, the most direct reason is unchanged, such as the closed country policy in the late Qing Dynasty, which could not keep pace with the times, was imprisoned in the glory of the past, and was eventually eliminated by the times and history.
Today we are going to introduce such a former 'big country''. It once controlled the territorial sea power of the Mediterranean, spanning Europe, Asia and Africa, with a wide sphere of influence, and a pivotal position in history, but finally dispersed and broken down into more than 40 countries, it is the famous Ottoman Turkish Empire (Ottoman Empire), also known as the "Sick Man of West Asia".
At the beginning of the Ottoman Empire, it was only a small tribe, and at that time there were only a few tribesmen, all of whom depended on each other, grew together, and eventually built a large country step by step. The Ottoman Empire, well aware of the importance of war and territorial expansion, built not only an army but also a powerful naval force that could compete with Spain, the hegemon of the seas. At this point, the Ottoman Empire's influence on the world was getting bigger and bigger, the Eastern and Western civilizations were able to communicate and unify here, the powerful Ottoman Empire became the hub of trade between the East and the West, and the development of its own economic level and military technology also became more and more mature.
As mentioned above, we can see that the flourishing history of the Ottoman Empire is a representative of the favorable time and place. Tianshi was the social background in which it was located and the historical environment at that time, the geographical location of Asia Minor, where the Turks settled, was very conducive to future development, and the people were the wisdom and ability of the Turkish people and the correct decisions of the leaders of previous generations. Combined with many favorable factors, the Ottoman Empire became more and more powerful and became an important influential role in the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
However, such a powerful Ottoman Empire eventually declined, no longer pursuing the times, only to enjoy the existing achievements, and could not escape the fate of being eliminated. As Mencius said, "Born of sorrow and died of happiness", once a great power begins to be satisfied with the status quo and does not develop in all aspects as before, then it will face destruction.
In 1571, the Ottoman Empire's naval leadership of the Mediterranean was defeated and lost control of the Mediterranean. In terms of ideology and culture, like the Qing government in the late Qing Dynasty, which refused to learn advanced knowledge from the West, the conservatives of the Ottoman Empire refused to accept new ideas, which made the Ottoman Empire gradually lag behind other countries in terms of ideology, culture, politics and economic system.
Eventually, the Ottoman Empire, which had lost control, had to go farther and farther downhill. Like the incompetence of the government in the late Qing Dynasty, the Ottoman Turkish Empire chose to remain silent in the face of the aggression of the great powers, allowing the great powers to slaughter, and this "big cake" was torn apart and the people suffered a lot. The Turkish people, led by the Founding Father of Turkey, launched a resistance movement that overthrew the dark and incompetent rule and officially brought to an end the once-glorious Ottoman Empire.
Conceit and regression are often complementary. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire taught many countries a lesson to learn. We cannot always recognize the situation and the needs we need, not to strive for new successes for the future, and blindly rely on the results we already have, while the once inconspicuous small countries around us gradually grow and develop, so that if it does not advance in the long river of history, it will retreat, and can only be eliminated.
Why is it more miserable than the late Qing Dynasty? Because our civilization has not been broken, the five thousand years of history and fine national traditions of the Chinese nation are remembered in the hearts of every compatriot, while the Ottoman Empire can only be divided into more than 40 countries in the end, and it has lost not only territory, but also a rare unity and harmonious social civilization. What has been lost and possessed is more obvious and lamentable than in the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
The influence of a great power is unimaginable, whether it exists or perishes. Like the "Whale Fall", the whale sinks to the bottom of the sea after death, and other creatures around it will rely on the "Whale Fall" to continue to live, and the place that belongs to its corpse forms a small ecosystem alone.
The decline and fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, like the ruins of the late Qing Dynasty in China, had a great impact on its own people and on the world. In addition to the most immediate impact of the world's territorial pattern, there is also the regional economic disorder brought about by its destruction and the change of the trading system. Of course, it is fortunate that the people of the Chinese know how to learn the lessons of history, understand that the task is heavy and the road is long, shoulder the responsibility of a big country, and have been forging ahead for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The decline of the Ottoman Empire also taught other peoples a lesson, and I believe that the Turkish people, who have learned the bitter lessons of history, can cherish the present even more and strive to create new glory.