This story is old, it is already more than one and a half centuries,but geographical names and countries, the mention of which is unavoidable when presenting its plot, evoke certain associations with modernity. Crimea, Turkey, Russia, France, Britain - here are the scenery for the dramatic events that developed in the middle of the XIX century. All wars end in peace, even the longest and bloodiest. Another question is how its conditions are beneficial for some countries and humiliating for others. The Paris world was the result of the Crimean War, which was waged against Russia by the combined forces of France, Britain and Turkey.
Pre-war situation
In the middle of the century, Europe experienced a seriousa crisis. National movements within Austria and Prussia could lead to the disintegration of these states, the displacement of borders and the collapse of the ruling dynasties. To help the Austrian emperor, Russian Tsar Nicholas I sent an army that stabilized the situation. It seemed that peace would come for a long time, but it turned out otherwise.
Revolutionary movements originated in Wallachia andMoldavia. After the introduction of Russian and Turkish troops in these areas, a number of controversial issues arose regarding the boundaries of the protectorate, the rights of religious communities and holy places, which ultimately meant a conflict over the spheres of influence of the powers adjacent to the Black Sea basin. In addition to the main countries directly concerned, other states that did not want to lose their geopolitical advantage, France, Britain and Prussia (quickly forgetting their gratitude for the miraculous salvation of their monarch), were also drawn into it. The Russian delegation led by Prince. Menshikov did not show the necessary degree of diplomacy, put forward ultimatum demands and, without achieving a result, left Constantinople. In early June, the invasion of the forty-thousand Russian corps into the Danube principalities occurred. In the fall, the fleets of France and Britain conducted their warships through the Dardanelles, providing military assistance to Turkey. On November 30, the squadron commanded by Ushakov launched a preemptive strike against the Turkish naval forces in Sinop, and the Western powers had directly intervened in the conflict, which came as a surprise to Nicholas I. Contrary to aspirations, the Turkish army was well prepared. In 1854, the Crimean War began.
War
To lead a land war with western RussiaIt seemed to the powers a risky business (the Napoleon campaign was still fresh in memory), and the strategic plan was to strike at the most vulnerable place - in the Crimea, using the advantage of naval forces. The poorly developed transport infrastructure connecting the peninsula with the central gubernias played into the hands of the Anglo-French-Turkish coalition, which made it difficult to supply troops and reinforcements. Evpatoria became the landing site, then a serious clash took place on the Alma River. It turned out that Russian troops are not sufficiently prepared for war in terms of armaments and in terms of training. They had to retreat to Sevastopol, the siege of which lasted a year. In the conditions of a shortage of ammunition, food and other resources, the Russian command managed to organize the defense of the city, in a short time to build fortifications (initially there were almost no onshore). Meanwhile, the forces of the Western allies suffered from diseases and bold attacks of the defenders of Sevastopol. As the participants in the talks later noted, the signing of the Peace of Paris took place with the invisible participation of Admiral Nakhimov, who died heroically during the defense of the city.
Terms of the world
Ultimately, Russia in the Crimean Warsuffered a military defeat. In 1855, during the Sevastopol defense, Emperor Nicholas I died, and Alexander II inherited the throne. The new autocrat understood that the fighting, despite the brilliant successes in the Asian theater, was developing unfavorably for Russia. The death of Kornilov and Nakhimov virtually decapitated the command, the further retention of the city became problematic. In 1856, Sevastopol was occupied by the troops of the western coalition. The leaders of Britain, France and Turkey drafted a four-point agreement, which was adopted by Alexander II. The treaty itself, dubbed the "Parisian World", was signed on March 30, 1856. It should be noted that the victorious countries, exhausted by a long military campaign, very costly and bloody, took care of the acceptability of its points for Russia. This was facilitated by the victorious actions of our army in the Asian theater, in particular the successful assault on the fortress Kare. The conditions of the Parisian peace primarily affected relations with Turkey, which was taken to ensure the rights of the Christian population in its territory, the neutrality of the Black Sea water area, the departure in its favor of two hundred square miles of territory and the inviolability of its borders.
Peaceful Black Sea
At first glance, a fair demanddemilitarization of the Black Sea coast in order to avoid further conflicts between the countries actually contributed to strengthening Turkey’s position in the region, since the Ottoman Empire reserved the right to have fleets in the Mediterranean and Marmara Seas. The Paris World also included an annex (convention) concerning the straits through which foreign warships could not be passed in peacetime.
End of Paris Peace Conditions
Any military defeat leads to restrictionopportunities of the underdog The Parisian world for a long time changed the balance of power in Europe, formed after the signing of the Vienna treatises (1815), and not in favor of Russia. The war as a whole revealed many flaws and flaws in the organization of army and naval construction, which prompted the Russian leadership to undertake a series of reforms. After the next, this time victorious, Russian-Turkish war (1877–1878), all restrictions on sovereignty and territorial losses were leveled. So ended the Paris Peace Act. The year 1878 was the date of the signing of the Berlin Treaty, which restored the regional dominance of Russia on the Black Sea.
