Question

How did Balkans led the first world war?

Answer 1

Explanation:

• The Balkans were disrupted by two wars in 1912-13, as well as rising Serbian nationalist groups.

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the Balkan city of Sarajevo provided the Austro-Hungarian government with a pretext for crushing Serbian nationalism, something it had long desired

Answer 2

Answer:

A significant cause of European tension prior to World War I was continued instability and conflict in the Balkans. The name itself referred to a large peninsula sandwiched between four seas: the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Aegean. On this land mass was a cluster of nations and provinces, including Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Bosnia. At the turn of the century, the Balkan region was less populated and under-developed, in comparison to western Europe; it had few natural resources, so was hardly an economic prize. The importance of the Balkan peninsula lay in its geographic location. Situated at the crossroads of three major empires – Ottoman, Russian and Austro-Hungarian – and with access to several important waterways, the Balkans were strategically vital. Because of this, the area had for centuries been a gateway between East and West, an area of cultural and mercantile exchange, and a melting pot of ethnicities and people.