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The Ottoman Empire was based in modern Turkey. But it controlled lands in Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. This empire lasted for hundreds of years, but by the 1800s, it was weak. The ruling party broke up into quarreling factions. Corruption and theft caused financial chaos. The Ottomans had once embraced modern technologies but now were falling behind the Europeans. Nationalism began to stir among people in the empire. In 1830, Greece won its independence and Serbia won the right to govern itself. European nations eyed what remained of the empire hungrily. Russia lost the war when Britain and France joined on the side of the Ottomans. Still, the Ottomans later lost almost all of their land in Europe and parts of Africa. Muslim leaders, seeing this decline, decided to modernize their countries.Russia also fought Great Britain in a war known as the "Great Game." Russia sought to extend its empire and gain access to India, one of Britain's most valuable colonies. The British defended India and also attempted to spread its empire beyond India's borders. Much of the war was fought in the independent Muslim kingdom of Afghanistan. After decades of fighting, both countries withdrew and agreed to respect Afghanistan's independence. The canal was extremely expensive to build. Egypt quickly found that it could not afford to repay the money it owed. The British took control of the canal. Later the British took over the rest of the country as well. In Persia, the Russians and the British competed for control. Russia wanted to use Persia to gain access to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Twice Russia forced Persia to give up territories through military victories. Britain wanted to use Afghanistan as a buffer between India and Russia. In 1857, Britain forced Persia to give up all claims to Afghanistan. In the early 1900s, oil was discovered in Persia. A British company signed an agreement with Persia's ruler to develop these oil fields. Persians rebelled against their ruler, who was corrupt, and the growing influence of Europeans. Then Russia and Britain stepped in and took control of the land. In Muslim lands, the Europeans gained control by using economic imperialism and creating spheres of influence. Some Muslim countries tried to modernize. But these efforts came too late to prevent Europeans from taking over.