The winds of nationalism are blowing through Ottoman territory in the Balkans. Unrest is rife and the Empire is bankrupt. The young sultan Abdülhamid is at the helm. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan to discuss whether the Ottoman Empire really was the sick man of Europe in the run-up to the First World War.

LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices