explain the politics in balkan region. point wise
Answers
*The most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe after 1871 was the arex called the Balkans.
*The Balkans was a: region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro whose inhabitants were broadly kown as the Solarge part of the Balkans was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.
*The spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans together with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.
*All through the nineteenth century the Ottoman Empire had sought to strengthen itself through modernisation and internal reforms but with very httle success One by one, its European subject nationalities broke wway from its control and declared independence.
*The Balkan peoples based their claims for independence or political rights on nationality and used history to prove that they had once been independent but had subsequently been subjugated by foreign powers.
*Hence the rebellious nationalities in the Balkans thought of their struggles as attempts to win back their long lost independence.
* As the different Slavic nationalities struggled to define their identity und independence, the Balkan area became an area of intense conflict.
*The Balkan states were fiercely jealous of each other and each hoped to gain more territory at the expense of the others.
*Matters were further complicated because the Balkans also became the scene of be power rivalry. During this period, there was intense rivalry among the European powers over trade and colonies as well as naval and military might These rivalries were cry evident in the way the Balkan problem unfolded.
*Each power -- Russia, Germany, England, Austro Hungary-was keen on countering the hold of other powers over the Balkans and extending its own control over the area. This led to an in the region and finally the First World War.