The Balkan States, 1876-1914 - Essay Example

Why were Austria and Serbia at odds over the Balkans? In order to understand the position of Austria and Serbia over Balkans, we must also first understand the historical relevance of the position of both the countries. Serbia under the Ottoman Empire remained largely exploited and many Serbs migrated from the area to other areas in the Balkan and when Austria pushed back Turks to the south of Danube, many Serbs were librated however the possession of the land still remained in the hands of Turks.

However, the subsequent wars saw weakening of the Turk power over the territory and after gaining independence in 1878, Serbia was placed administratively under the control of Austria. However as the event unfolded after 1908 as “in the ensuing Balkan Wars of 1912-13, Serbia obtained northern and central Macedonia, but Austria compelled it to yield Albanian lands that would have given it access to the sea. Serb animosity against the Habsburgs reached a climax on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip, setting off a series of diplomatic and military initiatives among the great powers that culminated in World War I.

” (US Department of State). The rising tension between the two entities and the resulting conflict thus brought about the World War I. Further it was also a conflict of interest as both the countries tried to legitimize their powers in the region. Austria being the country largely responsible for weakening Turks claimed to have more territory under its control whereas Serbia refused to budge to the excessiveness of Austria thus both the countries were at odd during Balkan wars.What was the role of nationalism in the Balkan wars?

It is largely being argued that the nationalism was one of the main thrust behind the first and the second Balkan War as Nationalism worked as a force to compel Europe to go far war. Tracing the history of the region, it would be evident that right from the Ottoman rule in the region to the last Balkan war of 1990s, Nationalism has emerged in the form of various sub-identities and sub-cultures which virtually divided the region and brought about the bitter consequences of the war. It is also believed that Nationalism emerged within the Balkan region mainly due to the conditions of the social structure within the region.

The region was largely village based with strong differences between the rural and the urban areas. Further, with influx of Turks, most of the population of Serbia especially embraced Islam which gave the issue of nationalism a whole new face in the region. The historical roots of this issue will therefore lead us to the strong hatred and nationalism among the neighboring states as ethnic cleansing was largely used as the preferred method of legitimizing one’s power over the other group. As discussed above that the changing social structure within the region was largely behind the emergence of nationalism therefore the resulting wars were largely based on the nationalistic sentiments.

Works CitedUS Department of State. "Background Note:Serbia." 2008. US Department of State. 09 June 2008 .