Western Civilization II / Unit 11 WC2 1004 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Crimean War Breaks the Vienna System, 1854 to 1856
Captions available
The idea
Russia pressed a declining Ottoman Empire toward the Black Sea; Britain and France went to war to stop it. Austria stayed neutral, breaking the alliance that had saved it in Hungary. Russia lost. The Congress System was gone and great powers competed openly.
In practice
Six hundred thousand dead, mostly of disease, the anchor says.
Where people slip
The witness dates it eighteen fifty-three to fifty-six.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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