Editing Sick man of Europe (section)

{{Short description|Geopolitical designation}}[[File:Punch magazine - Turkey Ltd - 1896.jpg|thumb|right|alt=refer to caption|Caricature from ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'', dated June 6, 1896. It shows Sultan [[Abdul Hamid II]] in front of a poster that announces the [[Reorganization bankruptcy| reorganization]] of the Ottoman Empire. The empire's value is estimated at £5&nbsp;million (£{{inflation|UK-GDP|5|1896}} million in {{Inflation/year|UK-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|UK-GDP}}). [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[French Third Republic|France]] and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|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]] (predecessor of present-day [[Turkey]]) whilst they were in a state of decline in the 19th century. 

[[Emperor of all the Russias|Emperor]] [[Nicholas I of Russia|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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last1=Karaian|first1=Jason|last2=Sonnad|first2=Nikhil|date=2019|title=All the people, places, and things called the 'sick man of Europe' over the past 160 years|url=https://qz.com/588958/all-the-people-places-and-things-called-the-sick-man-of-europe-over-the-past-160-years/|access-date=2021-12-21|website=Quartz|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=British Battles. Crimea, 1854. |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20210802111724/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/crimea/ |website=The National Archives' Website: Online Exhibitions: British Battles |access-date=4 December 2024 |location=Kew, Richmond, UK |date=2006}}</ref> The characterization existed during the "[[Eastern question]]" in diplomatic history, which also referred to [[Decline and modernization of the Ottoman Empire|the decline]] of the Ottoman Empire in terms of the [[European balance of power|balance of power in Europe]].<ref name="ottoman">{{Cite book|last=Badem|first=Candan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXoYJikZ7ygC|title=The Ottoman Crimean War, 1853-1856|date=2010|publisher=Brill|others=citing Eckstädt, 1887|isbn=978-90-04-19096-2|location=Boston|pages=68–69|oclc=668221743}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 

Throughout the 1960s to the 1980s, the term was also most notably used for the [[United Kingdom]] when it [[Superpower collapse#British Empire / United Kingdom|lost its superpower status]] as the [[British Empire|Empire]] crumbled and its [[British Islands|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 [[2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis|cost-of-living crisis]] and [[2022–2023 United Kingdom industrial disputes and strikes|industrial disputes and strikes]] becoming more commonplace.<ref name="SMOE"/>

As of 2024, [[Germany]] is most commonly referred to as the 'Sick Man of Europe' due to its [[German economic crisis (2022–present)|consistently stagnant economy]] and in particular, its industrial base, since the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/sep/01/germany-economy-problem-analogue-industries|title=The German problem? It's an analogue country in a digital world |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2024-09-01 |accessdate=2024-09-06}}</ref> and the reduction in imports of inexpensive natural gas from Russia after the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/key-energy-output-data-track-germany-charts-economic-revival-maguire-2025-02-25/|title=Key energy and output data to track as Germany charts economic revival|newspaper=Reuters|accessdate=2025-03-08}}</ref> This has been demonstrated by Germany having the lowest [[GDP]] growth amongst the large [[G7]] industrialised economies compared to the pre-pandemic level.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02784/|title=GDP – International Comparisons: Key Economic Indicators |newspaper=House of Commons Library |date=2024-08-15 |accessdate=2024-09-06}}</ref> The country had previously been referred to as the 'Sick Man' during the late 1990s to early 2000s.<ref name="The real sick man of Europe" />