--Even though one might conclude that
the root cause for WWI was Persian oil, the war had many seeds
of war sown decades beforehand. “If
we look at the history of international relations in the Balkans
in the nineteenth century, it is hard to set aside our foreknowledge
that the train of events will lead to World War I. Ultimately,
diplomacy of the old style failed in 1914 when new forces such
as nationalism and militarism escaped its control. In Balkan diplomatic
history it is easy to find situations in which old-style diplomacy
encountered new forces and did a poor job dealing with them. Especially
after 1878, rivalries grew: Austria vs. Russia, Austria vs. Serbia,
Serbia vs. Bulgaria, until the crisis of 1914.
--“On the other hand, there were many crisis and wars before 1878
that merely led to limited conflicts. It is inaccurate and misleading to analyze
them only as rehearsals for World War I. The central issue in Balkan diplomacy
at this time was the Eastern Question.
--“The
Eastern Question revolved around one issue: what should happen to the Balkans
if and when the Ottoman Empire disappeared as the fundamental political fact
in the Southeastern Europe? The Great Powers approached each crisis with the
hope of emerging with the maximum advantage. Sometimes this led one or another
to support revolutionary change. More often, state interests led them to support the status
quo.“The diplomacy of the Eastern Question went forward
in disregard, and often ignorance, of the wishes of the Balkan
peoples. Because of its traditions and structure, old-style diplomacy
was poorly equipped to deal with popular movements like nationalism.
The diplomacy of the Eastern Question began in the Early Modern
Period, before modern nationalism or representative governments.
Diplomats from the Great Powers did not take into account the
wishes of their own citizens, so why listen to Balkan peasants?”
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