💪 The winners
Austria-Hungary kept Bosnia and learned that threats worked. Germany had shown it would back its ally fully, which made Austria-Hungary bolder in later quarrels with Serbia.
The Growth of Tension in Europe, 1905-14 » The Balkans: Nationalism and the Bosnian Crisis
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Section A, Investigation A1, Key topic 2
- Why the Balkans became the most dangerous region in Europe
- How Balkan nationalism grew as Turkish rule declined, and what Serbia wanted
- Why Austria-Hungary and Serbia became rivals, and why Russia backed Serbia
- What happened in the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09 and how it changed relations between the great powers
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Unlock This CourseThe Balkans: a region in flux
The Balkans are the mountainous lands of south-east Europe. For centuries most of the region was ruled by Turkey, also called the Ottoman Empire. By 1905 that empire was so weak that people called it 'the sick man of Europe'. One by one its Balkan peoples had broken away. Greece, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro were independent states, and Bulgaria ran its own affairs. Turkey still held a belt of land across the middle of the Balkans, including Macedonia and Albania.
As Turkish rule declined, a question hung over the region: who would take Turkey's place? The new Balkan states had their own answer, and so did two great powers next door, Austria-Hungary and Russia. That is why trouble here mattered far beyond the Balkans.
Key terms:
- Nationalism: the belief that people who share a language and history should be united in a country of their own, free from foreign rule
- Slavs: a family of peoples in eastern and south-east Europe, including Russians, Serbs and Bulgarians, who speak related languages
- Pan-Slavism: the idea that all Slav peoples should support each other, with Russia as their protector
- Annexation: when a country takes over a territory and makes it part of itself
Balkan nationalism and Serbia's ambitions
Nationalism had driven the Balkan peoples to break away from Turkey. Once they were free, it made them ambitious. Each new state wanted to grow by taking in people of its own nation who still lived under foreign rule.
Serbia was the most ambitious of all. Its independence had been recognised by the great powers in 1878, but millions of Serbs and other South Slavs still lived outside its borders. Some were in Turkish lands to the south. Many more lived under Austria-Hungary, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Serbs were the largest group. Serbian nationalists dreamed of joining them all in one large Slav state led by Serbia.
In 1903 Serbian army officers murdered their king, who had been friendly to Austria-Hungary. The new king, Peter, looked to Russia for support instead. From then on Serbia was openly hostile to its big neighbour.
Austro-Serbian rivalry, with Russia behind Serbia
🎯 Serbia
Wanted to unite the South Slavs in one state. That meant taking land from Turkey and, one day, from Austria-Hungary.
👑 Austria-Hungary
Feared that Serbian nationalism would break up its empire. Wanted Serbia kept small and weak.
🐻 Russia
Saw itself as protector of the Slavs. Wanted influence in the Balkans and a sea route for its warships.
Why Austria-Hungary feared Serbia. Austria-Hungary was an empire of many peoples, including Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Poles, Croats and Serbs. If its South Slavs broke away to join Serbia, other peoples might demand to leave as well, and the empire could fall apart. To its leaders a strong Serbia was a threat to their survival. The head of the Austrian army, Conrad von Hötzendorf, called again and again for a war to crush Serbia.
The rivalry also turned into a trade war. In 1906 Austria-Hungary closed its border to Serbia's main export, livestock, in what became known as the 'Pig War'. It was meant to force Serbia into line. Serbia found new customers and ended up less dependent on Austria-Hungary than before.
Why Russia backed Serbia. Russia was the largest Slav nation and shared the Orthodox Christian faith with the Serbs, so Pan-Slavism was popular there. Russia had practical aims too. Its warships in the Black Sea could only reach the Mediterranean through the Straits, the narrow channels at Constantinople controlled by Turkey, and these were closed to warships. After losing its war against Japan in 1904-05, Russia turned its attention back to the Balkans.
This made a local quarrel dangerous. Behind Serbia stood Russia. Behind Austria-Hungary stood its ally Germany. A clash between a small Balkan state and its neighbour could pull in the great powers.
The Bosnian Crisis, 1908-09
Bosnia and Herzegovina had been run by Austria-Hungary since 1878, although the two provinces still officially belonged to Turkey. In July 1908 a revolution by a group of reformers, the Young Turks, forced the Sultan of Turkey to bring back a constitution and a parliament. They promised to make the empire strong again. Austria-Hungary feared they might try to take Bosnia back.
What happened
- September 1908: the Austrian foreign minister, Aehrenthal, met the Russian foreign minister, Izvolsky, at Buchlau. They made a private deal. Russia would not object if Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia. In return Austria-Hungary would support opening the Straits to Russian warships.
- October 1908: Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, before Russia had won anything. Britain then refused to agree to any change at the Straits, and France would not support Russia either. Izvolsky felt tricked.
- Serbia's reaction: Serbia was furious, because it had hoped Bosnia would one day be its own. It called up soldiers, demanded compensation and appealed to Russia. Russia supported Serbia and called for a conference of the powers.
- March 1909: Germany stepped in on Austria-Hungary's side. It demanded that Russia accept the annexation, and made clear it would stand by its ally if war came. Russia's army had not recovered from the war with Japan, and Britain and France would not fight over Bosnia. Russia backed down.
- 31 March 1909: left alone, Serbia had to accept the annexation and promise to be a good neighbour to Austria-Hungary. Turkey had already accepted a payment of money for its lost provinces.
The impact of the crisis
No shot was fired, but the crisis left every power involved more bitter or more reckless.
😡 The losers
Russia had been humiliated in front of the Slavs it claimed to protect. It was determined not to back down again and began to rebuild its army. Serbia was left angry and eager for revenge.
- Serbian nationalism grew fiercer. Nationalist societies were formed to work against Austrian rule in Bosnia. The first, Narodna Odbrana (National Defence), was set up in 1908 during the crisis.
- Serbia and Russia drew closer. Both now saw Austria-Hungary as their enemy and expected another clash.
- The alliance system tightened. Germany was now tied closely to Austria-Hungary's Balkan policy. Italy was annoyed that its ally had acted without consulting it.
The crisis ended peacefully only because Russia gave way. If a new quarrel broke out between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, Russia was unlikely to give way a second time. You will see what happened next in the lessons The Balkan Wars, 1912-13 and The Assassination at Sarajevo.
Common mistakes
Don't say Austria-Hungary invaded Bosnia in 1908. Its troops and officials had been there since 1878, and the annexation made Bosnia officially part of the empire. Don't say Russia fought for Serbia either. In 1909 Russia backed down, and that humiliation is the reason the crisis mattered. Keep the sides straight too: Germany backed Austria-Hungary, and Russia backed Serbia.
Exam-style question
Describe TWO features of EITHER Balkan nationalism in the years 1905-09 OR the Bosnian Crisis (1908-09). [6 marks]
Model answer
This answer chooses the Bosnian Crisis.
One feature of the Bosnian Crisis was that it began when Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 1908. Austria-Hungary had run the two provinces since 1878, but they still officially belonged to Turkey. It acted after the Young Turk revolution in Turkey, because it feared the reformers might try to take Bosnia back.
A second feature was that the crisis ended with Russia and Serbia backing down. Serbia was furious at the annexation and appealed to Russia, which supported it. In March 1909 Germany demanded that Russia accept the annexation. Russia was still weak after its war with Japan, so it gave way, and Serbia then had to accept the annexation too.
What lifts this to the top level: it gives two separate features of the crisis, and each one is backed by precise supporting facts such as dates, countries and reasons.
Exam tip
A feature is something true about the topic itself: how the crisis started, who was involved, how it ended. The question says 'describe', so you do not need to explain the long-term results or judge who was to blame. Choose the alternative you know more facts about, say which one you chose, and give each feature its own short paragraph with two facts. For more help, see the Exam Skills lesson Paper 2 Section A Question (a): Describe Two Features.