The Loan the Ottoman Empire Never Escaped

The Ottoman Empire ruled for 600 years. Then they took one loan. 27 years later, European bankers were collecting their taxes and controlling their budget. This is the story of how debt conquered an empire without firing a single shot—and why the same trap is closing on countries right now.
🔴 What You'll Learn:

How the Ottoman Empire went from superpower to debtor state in less than 30 years
The 1854 loan that started a cycle the empire could never escape
How European banks gained control of Ottoman tax collection by 1881
Why the empire spent 60% of revenue on debt payments by 1914
The shocking truth about how WWI partition was actually debt foreclosure
Which modern countries are following the exact same pattern today

⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 - The Document That Ended an Empire
3:45 - The First Loan: 1854 Crimean War
8:20 - The Debt Trap Closes
12:15 - Foreign Control of Ottoman Taxes
16:30 - The Young Turks Can't Escape
19:45 - WWI: Foreclosure, Not Conquest
23:10 - Modern Countries in the Same Trap
27:30 - Why This Should Terrify You
📊 Key Facts:

Ottoman debt reached 200 million pounds (10x annual revenue)
50-60% of empire revenue went to debt service by 1875
European creditors controlled 30%+ of imperial taxes
27 years from first loan to loss of financial sovereignty
Pattern repeating in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Lebanon, Argentina today

This isn't ancient history. This is the playbook being used right now.
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