Why Were the Balkans a Source of International Tension?
The Balkans, situated in south-eastern Europe, had been an area of trouble long before problems arose in the late nineteenth century. However it was not until then that these problems really built up so much tension that they were sure to cause a crisis, which they inevitably did in 1878. This tension was not only a result of one thing; it had been borne from several reasons which had been built up with the events of the countries nearby.
One of the main reasons that the Balkans created so much tension around them was the formation of Bismarck’s Dreikaiserbund. The main intention of this alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, was for Germany to keep two ‘enemies’ against France, in order for them to be the ‘Greater Power’ against the others. However, two of the members of the Three Emperors’ League had conflicting views about the Balkans. Both Russia and Austria-Hungary hoped to gain control of the area; it was experiencing a drawn-out decline of the Ottoman Empire and they believed they could benefit from Turkey’s downfall. By forming an alliance with both opposing countries, Bismarck hoped to ease the tensions felt over the Balkans. No such thing happened and Bismarck was forced to realise that if a real conflict ever occurred, he would be forced to take a side if he was to remain an ally. He was keen to avoid doing this at all costs and spent a lot of his time trying to convince both countries that the Balkans were ‘not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier’. Bismarck was constantly on-edge whilst he waited for his Dreikaiserbund to deteriorate over the Balkans’ source of tension. Perhaps France, who supported the nationalist movements in the Balkans, hoped that an issue would come of the situation and place her enemy, Germany, in trouble. However this is merely speculation which contributes again to the theme of international tension, as France too could have been waiting for...