World War I Serbia Essay

A significant cause of European tension prior to World War I was continued instability and conflict in the Balkans. The name itself referred to a large peninsula sandwiched between four seas: the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Aegean. On this land mass was a cluster of nations and provinces, including Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Bosnia. At the turn of the century the Balkan region was less populated and under-developed, in comparison to western Europe; it had few natural resources, so was hardly an economic prize. The importance of the Balkan peninsula lay in its geographic location. Situated at the crossroads of three major empires – Ottoman, Russian and Austro-Hungarian – and with access to several important waterways, the Balkans were strategically vital. Because of this, the area had for centuries been a gateway between East and West, an

The first was a sharp increase in Serbian nationalism. Several Serb nationalist groups had formed in the early 1900s and flourished for the next decade. Their primary aim was to free Serbia from foreign control and influence, particularly from Vienna. In 1908 the Austro-Hungarians formally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. This roused nationalist movements in the region. Groups like the Narodna Odbrana (‘People’s Defense’), Crna Ruka (‘Black Hand’) and Mlada Bosna (‘Young Bosnia’) all formed between 1908-1911 and pledged to drive out the Austro-Hungarians. These groups were encouraged by Russian agents, as well as individuals in the Serbian government, public service and military. Most of their activities revolved around political agitation or the production of anti-Austrian propaganda – but some also trained for and plotted acts of terrorism. Their most telling act was the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914, by a teenaged member of Crna Ruka, Gavrilo