Explain how the events in the Balkans in the year 1908 to 1914 lead to war among the Balkans state.

Answer 1

The events in the Balkans between 1908 and 1914 were crucial in setting the stage for the outbreak of World War I. This period witnessed a series of nationalist tensions, political rivalries, and territorial disputes among the Balkan states, including Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece, as well as the declining Ottoman Empire and the rising powers of Austria-Hungary and Russia. These events ultimately led to conflicts and alliances that would result in the outbreak of war.

One important event in this period was the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-1909. In 1908, Austria-Hungary announced its annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had been under nominal Ottoman control. This move angered Serbia, which had long sought to incorporate the Bosnian territories into its own unified state, believing they were historically and ethnically Serbian. The annexation also threatened Russia's influence in the Balkans as it had aspirations of establishing a pan-Slavic federation.

As a result of the Bosnian Crisis, Serbia's relationship with Austria-Hungary deteriorated, and Serbia also sought support from Russia, which saw Serbia as a means of maintaining its influence in the region. Serbia began aligning itself with other Slavic states in the Balkans, particularly with Montenegro and Bulgaria. These alliances formed the basis of what became known as the Balkan League, which aimed to drive the Ottomans out of the Balkans.

In 1912, the Balkan League launched the First Balkan War against the weakening Ottoman Empire. With Greece and Montenegro joining Serbia and Bulgaria, they successfully expelled the Ottomans from most of their remaining European territories. However, once the common enemy was defeated, tensions quickly arose among the victorious Balkan states as they began to dispute the newly acquired territories.

Bulgaria, feeling that it had borne the brunt of the war efforts, held grievances against Serbia and Greece for their territorial gains. This led to the Second Balkan War in 1913, when Bulgaria launched an attack on its former allies. The conflict ended with a defeat for Bulgaria and a reshuffling of territories in the Balkans, with Serbia and Greece emerging as the major beneficiaries.

These tensions and conflicts in the Balkans alarmed Austria-Hungary, which feared the rise of Serbia and its pan-Slavic aspirations. Austria-Hungary saw Serbia as a threat to its territorial integrity, particularly due to Serbia's large Serbian-speaking population. Feeling threatened, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian nationalist.

The events that unfolded in the Balkans between 1908 and 1914, including the Bosnian Crisis, the establishment of Balkan alliances, the Balkan Wars, and the tensions between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, all contributed to the growing animosity and rivalries among the Balkan states, as well as between major powers like Austria-Hungary and Russia. These tensions ultimately triggered the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the subsequent escalation into World War I.