Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Rashin nasara a yakin Crimean a 1856 ya ƙasƙantar da Rasha kuma ya kara sha'awar su don ɗaukar fansa. Tashin hankali tsakanin gwamnatocin Rasha da Ingila ya karu a lokacin tsakiyar karni. Tun shekara ta 1815 ne aka soma yaƙi tsakanin Rasha da kuma Britaniya. Rashawa sun taimaki Austria wajen murkushe tawayen 'yanci na Hungary
a shekara ta 1849 ga takaicin Birtaniya. Shugabannin Rasha sun ji raunin al'ummarsu a cikin shekarun 1820 ya ba da damar sassaucin ra'ayi ya yadu a Yamma. Sun nuna rashin amincewa da juyin juya halin 'yanci na shekarun 1830 a Faransa, Belgium, tsakiyar Turai; mafi munin duka shi ne tayar da kayar baya da Rasha wanda dole ne a murkushe shi a Poland. Sabuwar gasa ta dabarun da tattalin arziki ta kara tashin hankali a ƙarshen 1850s, yayin da Birtaniyya ta koma kasuwannin Asiya. Rushewar Rasha na tawaye na kabilanci a yankin Caucasian ya saki sojoji don kamfen don fadada tasirin Rasha a tsakiyar Asiya, wanda Birtaniyya ta fassara a matsayin barazana ta dogon lokaci ga Daular Burtaniya a Indiya. Akwai fitattu masu ƙarfi da ƙiyayya ta jama'a ga barazanar Rasha da aka yi wa Daular Ottoman da nufin sarrafa mashigar da ke haɗa Bahar Maliya da Bahar Rum.