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The Ottoman Empire was in terminal decline and since the start of the 19th century it had been in retreat in the Balkans, which it had once dominated.<ref>Taylor, Alan J. P. (1954). ''Struggle for the Mastery of Europe 1848–1918''. UK: Oxford University Press. p. 241</ref> However, it still retained control over large areas of the southern Balkans. The region was very unstable. The population of the Balkans was made up largely of Slavs and many of these wanted the creation of a single Slavic state in the region, this ideology was known as Pan-Slavism. The nationalist ideology of Pan-Slavism was very hostile to the Ottoman Turks, but generally support Russian influence in the Balkans, as it was considered a Slavic nation. Russia considered itself to be the defender of the Christian Slavs against the Muslim Ottomans.<ref>Taylor, p. 167</ref> [[File:The_defeat_of_Shipka_Peak,_Bulgarian_War_of_Independence.jpeg|thumbnail|250px|Russian and Bulgarian troops defending against Turkish troops at Shipka Pass during Russo-Turkish War.]] In 1876, the Bulgarians rebelled against Ottoman rule. The Turkish Ottoman forces brutally crushed the revolt with great loss of civilian life. This led to Russian intervening on behalf of their fellow Slavs and Christians, the Bulgarians. From 1877-8, the Russians fought a war against the Ottomans, mainly in the Balkans.<ref> Taylor, p.256.</ref> The Russians, who were supported by Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Rumania, inflicted a series of defeats on the Turks. By 1878, the Turks had been forced out of almost all of their Balkan provinces. The Russian and their allies signed a Treaty with the Ottomans, in 1878. The terms of this treaty meant that Russia and its allies had confined the Turks to a narrow band of territory in the Balkans. To many observers it seemed likely that the Russians would go on to occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.<ref>Glenny, Misha (2000). ''The Balkans, 1804-1999: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers''. Granta Books, p. 78.</ref>

[[File:713px-Alexander_II_of_Russia_photo.jpg|thumbnail|290px|Tsar Alexander II of Russia]] The outcome of the war greatly alarmed the other European powers. The decisive Russian victory in the Balkans had important implications for all the other European powers. The German and Austro-Hungarian Empires were worried that the war had encouraged Slavic nationalism and they both had large Slavic minorities in their realms.<ref>Glenny, 134</ref> If there was a strong Slavic state created in the Balkans, it could foster Slavic nationalism among their own populations and could lead to instability or even the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in particular. The British and the French were also alarmed by the growing power of the Russians in the Balkans. The governments in Paris and London welcomed Russia’s victory but were worried that it could lead to it dominating the Balkans. In particular, they were worried about Russian ambitions in the Bosporus. This is one of the world’s most strategic waterways and it connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. The Russian Tsar Alexander II had ambitions, to capture Constantinople. This would have allowed the Russian navy access to the Mediterranean and this was seen as a threat to French and British interests. Britain in particular, believed that if Russia was to dominate the Bosporus Straits it would threaten its ‘sphere of influence’ in the Mediterranean.<ref>Glenny, 78</ref> The British made clear that they would not allow the Russians access to the Bosporus. London made clear it would go to war with Russian over the issue.<ref>Albertini, Luigi (2002).''The Origins of the War of 1914: European relations from the Congress of Berlin to the eve of the Sarajevo murder.'' Oxford University Press, p. 119.</ref>