00:00To understand the background of World War I, we need to look at the position of the Ottoman Empire.
00:05At that time, the empire stretched across three continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
00:10Because of its sheer size and strategic geography, the Ottoman Empire had become a major headache for several European powers.
00:16The biggest issue was its location.
00:18The Ottoman Empire sat astride some of the world's most important trade routes.
00:22Any country that wanted to trade between continents either had to pass through Ottoman-controlled territory or take a much longer, more expensive, and risky sea route.
00:30This is why the great powers of the time were determined to weaken Ottoman control over global trade corridors.
00:36At the same time, the Russian Empire had its own ambitions.
00:39Russia was desperate to gain control over the Black Sea and the maritime routes connected to it.
00:44Russia's trade options were extremely limited.
00:46Northern sea routes remained frozen for most of the year, while other major routes were tightly controlled by Britain.
00:52Trading through the east was also impractical, due to the vast distance from Moscow.
00:56As a result, the Black Sea and the Dardanelles Strait became critically important for Russia, offering the shortest and most efficient trade route.
01:03However, these waterways were firmly under Ottoman influence.
01:06This struggle over trade and power pushed tensions between Russia and the Ottoman Empire to the breaking point.
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