EUROPEAN HISTORY, 1900-1960

3. BALKAN WARS, 1912, 1913

3. BALKAN WARS, 1912, 1913

First Balkan War, 1912

The connection between the Turco-Italian War and the Balkans was that to Serbia and to other Balkan countries the war in Tripoli was too tempting an opportunity to miss. It made possible a war against Turkey on their own account. Partly as the result of Russian diplomacy and partly owing to the skilled negotiations of the Greek statesman Venizelos, the `Balkan League of Christian States' was formed consisting of Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro. Their ostensible objective was to acquire from Turkey better conditions for Macedonian Christians, though their real purpose was to drive the Turks out of Europe altogether, and so to win independence for themselves and the enlargement of their territories. When Turkey refused to yield to their demands, in October 1912 the League declared war. Within a few weeks the League's forces had won a succession of victories so decisive that Turkey was on the verge of complete collapse. At this point, in December 1912, the Powers intervened.

The reasons were plain. The maintenance of Turkey in Europe, and especially in Constantinople, was essential as a means of keeping Russia from the Mediterranean and from predominance in the Balkans. There was also the danger that, if Russia decided to intervene actively, the war could no longer be confined to the Balkans, and then no one could predict the end of it. Moreover, if the Balkan League was left to make its own terms with Turkey, the dream of a Greater Serbia could become a reality: presumably she would absorb Albania to the west of her, and so could obtain a long coastline and might grow ultimately into a Mediterranean Power. Such a Serbia could not fail to attract the Serbs from within the Austrian Empire, and no one could estimate how far or with what result disaffection in Austria might then spread.

Yet none of the efforts of the Powers could induce Turkey to accept mediation, and the war had to continue, as did also the victorious progress of the Balkan League until in April 1913 its forces were within striking distance of Constantinople itself. In order to save their hold on the city, the Turks then sued for peace. This left the way clear for the European Powers to impose their terms upon all parties in the war.

The result was the Treaty of London which had three main provisions. First, Turkey was expelled from Europe except that she was allowed to keep Constantinople and a narrow neck of land to the west of it. Second, the Balkan States were to be allowed to divide among themselves the areas from which Turkey had thus been driven. Third, the only exception to the second provision was that a new State of Albania was formed and this was to remain independent under the rule of a German prince. This third pro­vision was due to Austria's uncompromising insistence. In one respect there was justice in it, for the Albanians were not Serbs and had no wish to be ruled by Serbians. But this was not Austria's real motive: she was concerned to ensure that Serbia should never have a coastline and so to thwart the nationalist ambition for a Greater Serbia to which the Austrian Slavs would be attracted.

First Balkan War, 1912

Second Balkan War, 1913

Events soon showed that the Treaty of London, instead of settling the Balkan ferment, had only caused it to break out in another direction. Serbia, frustrated in her desire to expand west­wards, demanded to be compensated by a large slice of Macedonia. But this was an area which Bulgaria regarded as her rightful share of the spoils. Serbia therefore turned for support to Greece who also had hoped for part of Albania. Serbia and Greece had one advan­tage over Bulgaria: their troops had been fighting in Macedonia and still were in occupation of the country there, whereas the Bulgars had been fighting mainly in Thrace. Because, therefore, the Serbs and the Greeks held on to what they possessed, the Bulgars attacked in force to drive them out. Thereupon Rumania, who had not been a member of the Balkan League but who now thought she saw a chance also to gain territory at Bulgaria's expense, threw in her lot with Serbia and Greece.

Thus once again the Balkan States were embroiled in war, this time not against their overlord Turkey but among themselves. As might have been expected, Turkey was delighted to watch her enemies squabble among themselves: it gave to her the chance to recover some of what she had lost to them. So Turkey added to Bulgaria's difficulties by re-occupying Adrianople and part of eastern Thrace. Through June and July 1913 the fighting and the accompanying atrocities went on: but at last the Bulgars, beset on every side, had no option but to surrender.

The Treaty of Bucharest of August 1913 drew definite boundaries between the Balkan States. Each of the three victors - Serbia, Greece, Rumania - gained considerably at Bulgaria's expense, and Bulgaria thus lost nearly everything in Macedonia. Turkey was allowed to recover Adrianople. Albania remained a separate kingdom.

Second Balkan War, 1913

Effects of the Balkan Wars

There was some satisfaction in Europe that at last Turkey had been rendered harmless, and that the ambitions of the Balkan States seemed to have been satisfied without their owing depend­ence upon Russia. Moreover, the disturbances had been confined t o the Balkans without involving the rest of Europe. Unfortunately, events soon showed that Europe had congratulated itself too easily and too soon. The wars and their settlement had left behind I hem active germs of future discontents and strife.

Though the great European nations had not taken an active part in the fighting, the effect was to jeopardize the balance of power between them. In general, the prestige of the Cen­tral Powers had suffered considerable loss. The Turks had had German arms and advice from German officers, and Turkey had been routed and almost driven out of Europe. The victory and expansion of Serbia were serious set-backs to Austrian policy.

Serbia was indeed the pivot of the Balkan situation. The wars had intensified still further the Serbs' antagonism to Austria, and the successes already gained encouraged the hope of more to come. Austria's seizure of Bosnia and her insistence upon an independent Albania, both of which areas cut off Serbia from the sea, were especially resented. After the wars many Serbian army officers engaged in secret terrorist activities against the Austrians. Most important of the terrorist societies was the Black Hand among whose members were many students. Much of this intrigue was known to officials of the Serbian Government, some of whom gave it passive if not active support. It was this intrigue which struck the blow that was to involve all Europe, and almost all the world, in war.

Effects of the Balkan Wars