question_answer

Why was Balkans after 1871 the most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe? Explain four reasons.                                                                                                                                   [Foreign 2008]

Answer:

The Balkan region became a source of the most serious nationalist tension for various reasons:

Blakans was a region of geographical and ethnic variations comprising modern day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro whose inhabitants were known as the Slavs.

A large part of the Balkans was under the Ottoman Empire. When the Ottoman Empire began to disintegrate and its hold over the Balkans was weakened, the Slavs were imbibed with the ideas of nationalism and dreamt of having an independent state of their own. This made the situation explosive.

Despite the effort made by the Ottomans to introduce reform, the nationalities in the Balkans began to break from the empire one by one. The rebellious nationalities in the Balkans thought of regaining their independence.

Balkan region also became an area of intense conflict and the scene of big power rivalry. Russia, Germany, England, Austria, Hungary all wanted to extend control over the Balkans-as the region was strategically important. These conflicts led to Balkan wars and later the First World War.