As one of the most troubled region of the Balkans in Central Europe, the Balkans were affected by strife and hostility. The problems in the Balkans not only affected the people living in this region, but also other large European powers that fueled many of the major conflicts and events of Europe at the time. The First Balkan War and its profound effects on European history will be discussed, while also exploring the future conflicts in both the Balkans and the rest of Europe.
The Balkan states were all relatively close to the Straits, and they were ambitious in their attempts to gain territory from the “Ottoman empire [which] seemed on the point of collapse.” The fight for this territory became one of several reasons for the initiation of the First Balkan War, which ended with the signing of the Treaty of London (1913), introduced at this conference in order to settle land disputes between the European countries. The effect of this treaty will be discussed in how it brought about a temporary peace among the Balkan states, and how this order was broken again not long after. The consequences of the First Balkan War and the Treaty of London (1913) will be examined, revealing the causes of the Second Balkan War and the indirect causes of World War I can be, while also taking note of ties between European countries. The victory and gains of certain countries in the First Balkan War led to strained relationships with neighbouring countries, ultimately creating the road to future conflicts throughout Europe. Ultimately, Balkan nationalism, tensions between Great Powers, such as Austria and Russia in the Bosnian Crisis, displeasure in land distribution, and weakness in the Ottoman Empire led to the success of these wars, and the effect...
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...es, who, “felt strong in their union, [and] wished to take advantage of the embarrassment caused at Constantinople by the Italian war.” The Balkan League took advantage of the Ottomans’ weakness after the war, and quickly acted upon their desire for Ottoman land. Therefore, it is evident that through the weakness and vulnerability of the Ottoman Empire, highlighted by the Italo-Turkish War of 1912, that allows the Balkan League to take this opportunity in fulfilling their desire for nationalism in Southeastern Europe. Ultimately, the First Balkan War was brought about not only because of land disputes with respect to the conditions of the Treaty of Berlin, but also because of the lack of unity in the Ottoman Empire as a multi-national European power, leading to vulnerability when faced with Balkan nationalism and the overpowering of new European powers like Italy.
Bosnia had been part of Austria-Hungary since 1908 but it was claimed by neighboring Serbia. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination and on July 28th declared war. What began as the third Balkan war turned into a European war in two years? On August 4th Germany invaded neutral Belgium on its way to France it intended to knock France out of the war before turning its attention to Russia. Britain had guanteed to defend Belgium’s neutral zone and it declared war on Germany. The Great War had begun” (WWI Book
struggle, however, fought under the guise of ethnic hatred. Bibliography Glenny M, "The Balkans, 1804-1999", 2000. Lampe JR, Yugoslavia as History. Twice There was a Country, 1996. Kegley and Wittkopf, "World Politics", 2001.
So when asking the question what the causes of World War One are its important to remember that the rivalries between European states were intensified by the imperialism of the 19th century. Which lead to tension which became fear of invasion that in turn resulted in an intricate system of alliances “ensured what might have been an isolated crisis in the Balkans became a general war”. Whilst the effects of imperialism may not be the single cause of the war, it was undoubtedly a contributing
and Serbia in 1914. It was transformed into a general European struggle by declaration of
Although Milosevic was a key figure during this period whose actions undoubtedly influenced the chain of events that unfolded, I believe his power-seeking motives were not unique to him; his actions in the former Yugoslavia could have been committed by a number of others who had the same desire for power driving them. Nevertheless, as he was president of Serbia and essentially commander-in-chief of Serb forces who carried out unconscionable acts of cruelty against Muslims and other non-Serb civilians, particularly in the attempt to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina, he bears responsibility for his actions as an authority figure. Though his main goal seemed to be focused on territorial expansion of the Serbian state, he led military forces to deport and murder non-Serb civilians in massive numbers and therefore was in vi...
Lafore makes his detailed explanation in seven lengthy chapters. He goes on to describe the European obsession with nation states and the problems it caused such as: territorial disputes, namely with Alsace-Lorraine; ethnic nationalism, especially with the Serbs (known as pan-Serbism), and twisted alliances to maintain the balance of power between said nation states.
Why It Proved to be Impossible to Solve the Problems Created by Balkan Nationalism Before 1914 Balkan nationalism was apparent in the years leading up to 1914 in two forms: The desire for expansion, or rather, self-determination, within the immediate region, and also in the support of Pan-Slav nationalism (a Russian idea). In the years from 1900 to 1914, this nationalism caused the key problems of mistrust and suspicion between the two great powers of Austria Hungary and Russia, who’s conflicting national interests concerning the Balkan states arose from mutual distrust and desire to gain influence in the area and brought to the surface the conflicting national interests of the two countries within the region. The reasons it why it proved impossible to solve these aforementioned issues and soothe the tensions will be the focus of this essay. The Bosnian crisis of 1908 resulted form the annexation of the Balkan provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Austria Hungary.
Imagine waking up one day to the thundering of blows given at the door telling you to “open up or be shot down.” It is the Serb police, and they are telling you that you and your whole family had to leave your home immediately. This is how it went for many Albanian people during what some Serb extremists called “demographic genocide.” This was the beginning of what many would call the Kosovo War, and it lasted from March to June 1999. After NATO’s intervention in Kosovo, something strange happened. Now the people being victimized were the Serbs and anyone who was “friendly” to them. In this paper, I will speak about what happened before and after the war in Kosovo.
What political factors contributed to the idea of Albanian nationalism after the breakup of Yugoslavia that contributed to the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. To determine the political factors that contributed to Albanian nationalism, this investigation will focus on the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia, the social landscape of Kosovo after the breakup and the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. The views of the Albanians and Serbs will be examined to help develop a more contextual understanding of the rise of Albanian nationalism. Only the events that are relevant to the Kosovo War will be explored in this investigation.
There were several long-term events that led to the outbreak of World War One. The most prominent factors include: nationalism, militarism, imperialism, the Balkan and Morocco crises, and the alliance system. Ironically, these things were either started in response to, or upheld because of, one of the other factors. The alliance system was one of the last factors to emerge before the war. Consequentially, the contributions of this system to the beginning of the Great War have to be considered. Although the alliance system was a main cause of the First World War, it arose because of several other factors, and did not cause the war single handedly.
In 1882 Italy, angry at France chiefly because France had forestalled an Italian advance by occupying Tunis, signed another secret treaty, which bound it with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Thus was the Triple Alliance formed. It was periodically renewed until 1913. In 1882 Serbia joined the alliance, in effect, through a treaty with Austria-Hungary. Romania joined the group in 1883, and a powerful Central European bloc was created. Italy was from the first not so solidly bound to either of its allies as Germany and Austria-Hungary were to each other. Italy was in fact a rival of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and particularly for control of the Adriatic; moreover, there remained unsettled territorial problems (see irredentism). The Triple Alliance, however, turned diplomatic history into new channels. 4
After years of hostility and aggression between the European superpowers and large states, the balance of power began to be challenged. The Serbians in 1914 assassinated the Arch-duke, Franz Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary. The country counteracted and “issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which would bring the assassins to justice. And with that action Serbia’s sovereignty was nullified” (Duffy Michael, 2009). Since Serbia did not succumb to the harsh demands of Austria-Hungary, “preventative” war was declared on Serbia on July 28,...
The importance of the alliance system that developed in Europe in the decades before World War I as a cause for it is still an important topic of debate and argument between modern historians. Some argue that the alliance system was a direct cause of the outbreak of war between all major countries in Europe while other historians prefer to state that the alliance configuration we observe before the war started was simply a symptom of the conflicts and disagreements, fears and envies that had been accumulating since the Bismarck system of alliances collapsed, and even before then. This last opinion is becoming more accepted as the one that describes the true importance of the actual alliance system as a cause of the war. In order to determine the importance of the alliance system as a cause for the war we must first explore the origins of these alliances. We will take high-point of the Bismarck system in 1878 as our starting point as the Franco-Prussian war is a key factor for the development of this system.
The continent of Europe was composed of legions of different ethnic groups that at the end of World War I caused many problems for the treaty drawers of Paris. Even Wilson himself confessed that there were far many more ethnic groups in Europe than he at first realized- most of them seeking their own personal independence. Eastern Europe and the Balkans because many historical occurrences (such as invasions and migrations) were made up of “a bewildering kaleidoscope of races and religions.” There were still hordes of nationalistic minorities in countries with a majorities of ethnic groups not of their own. To make things even more difficult for the writers of the Paris Peace Treaties was that these races did not live in their own separate areas of the countries of Europe.
Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. "Slovakia." Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 2358-2359. World History in Context. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.