Tension in the Balkans Where is the Balkans

Tension in the Balkans

Where is the Balkans?

The Eastern Question • All the eastern Mediterranean and south-east Europe in the 18 th century had belonged to the Turkish Ottoman Empire. • Little by little, people from the Balkan countries shook off Turkish rule.

The Eastern Question • Sometimes these countries became independent, BUT – sometimes they became part of the Austrian Empire – or sometimes they became part of the Russian Empire. • Turkey was having all the countries it owned divided up by its neighbouring countries.

Big Power Ambitions in the Balkans • By 1870, Greece and Rumania had managed to gain independence from the Turks. • In 1878, Bismarck, the German Chancellor, held a meeting of all the Main countries in Europe. • It was decided that Serbia, could be independent. • Bulgaria would become a state, but still ruled by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. • Bosnia would become a state, but ruled by Austria. • Russia gained some of Rumania. • All the main countries got something, for instance Britain gained Cyprus.

The Balkans 1871 The Balkans 1878

• The people living in the Balkans did not achieve any of their aims and remained annoyed angry towards the Turks and the other main countries in Europe.

• By the beginning of the 20 th century, the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire was beginning to break up. • Sensing the chance to get independence, nationalism swept through the Balkans.

• War broke out in 1912, when troops from Montenego moved into the Ottoman Empire. • Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece joined the war and drove the Turks out of Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania. • These countries declared independence. • Later the Serbs turned against the Bulgarians and occupied all of Kosovo as well as Macedonia.

• In 1914 Austria-Hungary, (which governed Bosnia), sent the emperor's heir FRANZ FERDINAND to Bosnia to try to stop unrest. • He was trying to stop the Serbians taking over any more land. • He was shot in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist, an event which triggered WORLD WAR ONE