THE ROOTS AND CAUSES OF THE GREAT EASTERN CRISIS (1875–1878) IN THE MIRROR OF MILORAD EKMEČIĆ’S SCIENTIFIC OPUS

Abstract

Milorad Ekmečić had systematically and documented, for several decades, scientifically studied the problem of the Great Eastern Crisis (1875–1878), its causes, course and consequences. In which processes, events and phenomena did Milorad Ekmečić find the deep causes of the Great Eastern Crisis? First of all, in the failed reforms of the Ottoman Empire, which over time began to have the opposite effect: instead of becoming a factor in the stabilization and integration of society, they became a key factor in its disintegration. Ekmečić emphasized that the Ottoman authorities, for the purposes of implementing reforms, took large loans from British, French and Austrian banks, which they tried to repay by increasing taxes several times. According to his writing, this led to additional impoverishment of the already poor population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also to the rise of enormous discontent among the dependent Christian peasants, which resulted in their armed rebellion. Approaching this complex topic from various aspects, he showed that the agrarian issue, which laid at the root of the “Nevesinje Rifle”, was in a cause-and-effect relationship with the issue of national liberation, that is, that one arose from the other and was mutually interwoven. The symbiosis of these two issues was, according to the messages of his works, a characteristic not only of the wars during the Great Eastern Crisis, but also one of the main features of modern Serbian history in general. The fruits of Ekmečić’s study of the in-depth causes of the Great Eastern Crisis in the context of the Eastern Question and the Balkan policies of the great powers represent a valuable treasure trove of firmly founded knowledge. This quality places them among the indispensable scientific readings for further examination of this issue.