Sick man of Europe

refer to caption
Caricature from Punch, dated June 6, 1896. It shows Sultan Abdul Hamid II in front of a poster that announces the reorganization of the Ottoman Empire. The empire's value is estimated at £5 million (£695 million in 2023[1]). Russia, France and Britain are listed as the directors of the reorganisation. The caricature satirized the impoverished state of the Ottoman economy at the time.

"Sick man of Europe" is a label given to a state located in Europe that is experiencing economic difficulties, social unrest or impoverishment. It is most famously used to refer to the Ottoman Empire whilst they were in a state of decline.

Emperor Nicholas I of the Russian Empire is considered to be the first to use the term "Sick Man" to describe the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century.[2][3] The characterization existed during the "Eastern question" in diplomatic history, which also referred to the decline of the Ottoman Empire in terms of the balance of power in Europe.[4] After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, the term has been applied to other states. In modern usage, the term has faced criticism due to its origins and arguable over-usage.[2]

Throughout the 1960s to the 1980s, the term was also most notably used for the United Kingdom when it lost its superpower status as the Empire crumbled and its home islands experienced significant deindustrialization, coupled with high inflation and industrial unrest – such as the Winter of Discontent – including having to seek loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Since the mid-2010s and into the 2020s, the term being used for Britain began to see a resurgence after Brexit, a cost-of-living crisis and industrial disputes and strikes becoming more commonplace.[5]

As of 2024, Germany is most commonly referred to as the 'Sick Man of Europe' due to its consistently stagnant economy and in particular, its industrial base, since the COVID-19 pandemic[6] and the loss of access to inexpensive energy resulting from the Nord Stream pipelines sabotage.[7] This has been demonstrated by Germany having the lowest GDP growth amongst the large G7 industrialised economies compared to the pre-pandemic level.[8]

  1. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Karaian, Jason; Sonnad, Nikhil (2019). "All the people, places, and things called the 'sick man of Europe' over the past 160 years". Quartz. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  3. ^ Archives, The National. "Exhibitions & Learning online – British Battles". The National Archives. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  4. ^ Badem, Candan (2010). The Ottoman Crimean War, 1853-1856. citing Eckstädt, 1887. Boston: Brill. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-90-04-19096-2. OCLC 668221743.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference SMOE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "The German problem? It's an analogue country in a digital world". The Guardian. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  7. ^ "Media's 'Sick Man of Europe' Diagnosis for Germany Needs a Second Opinion". Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  8. ^ "GDP – International Comparisons: Key Economic Indicators". House of Commons Library. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-09-06.