Why Was There Relative Stability in the Balkans, In the Period 1890-1908?
Uploaded by Andy_Jones on Nov 17, 2001
Between the years of 1890 and 1908 there was a period of relative stability in the Balkan area. Whilst, in this essay, it is my primary objective to look at what factors caused this, it is first important to understand that the climate was only stable in comparison to the years before it – when there was great tension, argument and conflict.
It would be naïve to assume that after 1890 there was none of the aforementioned; the importance of the word ‘relative’ should not be overlooked. Take, for example, the infamous Armenian massacres of 1894 and 1896. At that time there were about a million Armenians under Turkish rule. They were a badly oppressed minority, discriminated against in just about every conceivable way. When the Armenian people began to press for improved rights and independence, the Turkish reaction was to silence them through acts of murder. This is clearly not an act usually associated with stability.
Another prime example that the stability in the Balkans was only ever relative is the crisis of 1903. The Serbian King was assassinated in a military coup and replaced by King Peter, who belonged to a different dynasty. He was pro-Russian which angered Austria-Hungary, who had been allied with Serbia. Austria-Hungary placed economic sanctions on the Serbs in the hope of forcing them back into an alliance, but this only succeeded in worsening relations between the two and pushing Serbia into Russian hands.
That said, there is no doubt that the climate surrounding the Balkans was far more relaxed and stable between 1890 and 1908 than it had been for many decades beforehand. There were several factors that contributed to this, the primary reason being (in my opinion) the change in Russian foreign policy.
Before 1890, Russian was often the root cause of tension and conflict, because of her foreign policy objectives – she had two principle objectives: to unite the Slav people of the Balkans, in order to create a ‘Greater Motherland’, and also to gain greater access to The Straits. This was most evident in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877, where Russia had emerged victorious, and attempted to create a ‘Bigger Bulgaria’ of Slav people in the (eventually) abortive treaty of San Stefano.
After 1890 Russia felt that if they continued to pursue their interests in the Balkans, it was a lot of trouble for possibly no gain, so instead she began looking to...