Berlin, Congress of

(June 13–July 13, 1878) Diplomatic meeting of the major European powers at which the Treaty of Berlin replaced the Treaty of San Stefano.

Dominated by Otto von Bismarck, the congress solved an international crisis by revising the peace settlement to satisfy the interests of Britain and Austria-Hungary. By humiliating Russia and failing to acknowledge adequately the aspirations of the Balkan peoples, it laid the foundation for future Balkan crises.

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▪ European history

      (June 13–July 13, 1878), diplomatic meeting of the major European powers at which the Treaty of Berlin replaced the Treaty of San Stefano (San Stefano, Treaty of), which had been signed by Russia and Turkey (Ottoman Empire) (March 3, 1878) at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War (Russo-Turkish wars) of 1877–78. Officially convoked by the Austrian foreign minister, Count Gyula Andrassy (Andrássy, Gyula, Count (Gróf)), the congress met in Berlin on June 13.

      Dominated by the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (Bismarck, Otto von), the congress solved an international crisis caused by the San Stefano treaty by revising the peace settlement to satisfy the interests of Great Britain (by denying Russia the means to extend its naval power and by maintaining the Ottoman Empire as a European power) and to satisfy the interests of Austria-Hungary (by allowing it to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina and thereby increase its influence in the Balkans). In acting so, however, the congress left Russia humiliated by substantially reducing the gains that it had made under the San Stefano treaty. Furthermore, the congress failed to consider adequately the aspirations of the Balkan peoples themselves and, thereby, laid the foundation for future crises in the Balkans.

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