8 Pan Slavism and The Bosnian Crisis

• What is Pan-Slavism?

  The nationalist ideal of uniting all Slavs, who shared ethnic, religious and cultural identities.

  It had been a political force in Russia and The Balkans for decades.
• What fuelled Pan-Slavism in the Balkans?

  As the number of Balkan states declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire increased from the late 19th Century onwards, the Pan-Slavic ambition grew even stronger.
• What was the final goal of Slav nationalists?

  The creation of a South Slav state - Yugoslavia.

  Especially a goal in Serbia and Croatia.
• How did Russia try and protect its interests in the Balkans?


  Russia in its self-appointed role as "protector of the Slavs" offered support for Balkan nations like Serbia and Bulgaria
• How did Austria-Hungary try and protect its interests in the Balkans?

  They took a more proactive approach to defend its interests by appointing Alois von Arenthal as Foreign Minister and Franz von Hötzendorf as Chief of General Staff.

  Both men had the same goal of halting the Habsburg Empire's decline, although Hötzendorf's methods were more aggressive.
• What three empires did the Slav nationalists of the Balkans have to be wary of?


  The decaying Ottoman Empire, which still had control of Albania and Macedonia.

  The Austro-Hungarian Empire which had administered and occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1878 and wanted full annexation (which it completed in 1908).

  The Russian Empire, which had been badly weakened by its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War and the first Russian Revolution in 1905.
• What were the key events of the Bosnian Crisis 1908?

  1878 - Austria-Hungary occupied and administered Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Treaty of Berlin.

  Sept 1908 - Meetings between Aehrenthal and Izvolsky.

  5 Oct 1908 - Austro-Hungarian troops marched into Bosnia-Herzegovina; Bulgaria declared independence from OE.

  6 Oct 1908 - Austria-Hungary formally announced its annexation.

  March 1909 - Russia and Serbia ended their protests against the annexation.
• What happened in 1897 that helped to improve Russo-Austrian relations in the short term?

  1897 secret conference between Franz Joseph and Tsar Nicholas II in St Petersburg which agreed they would honour and maintain the status quo in the Balkans - in line with Vienna's attempts to forestall the emergence of a large Slavic state.
• What happened in 1903 that damaged relations between Austria-Hungary and Russia?

  1903 Serbian MIlitary Coup.

  The Pro-Austrian King and Queen were brutally murdered by a group of Serbian military officers. They were replaced by the new Pro-Russian Karageogevic dynasty.

  This Coup marked the beginning of a far more aggressive Serbian foreign policy as the new monarch and government encouraged the growth of Serb Nationalism and were less concerned about maintaining friendly relations with A-H than their predecessors.
• What was the significance of the Serbian Military Coup for Austria-Hungary?

  >The growth of Serb nationalism threatened their empire as it contained around 7 million Serbs and Croats.

  >Austria-Hungary hoped to incorporate Bosnia-Herzegovina into its empire and Serbia was strongly opposed to this.

  >An increasingly assertive Serbia could inspire Croatian and Slovene nationalism.

  >The new Serb monarchy had no ambitions for good relations.

  >Hötzendorf championed an unashamedly aggressive approach to Serbia and by 1914 had advocated war against Serbia no less than 20 times.
• What did Austria-Hungary do in an attempt to stifle Serb ambitions?

  In 1906 after Aehrenthal became foreign minister, he did not renew the tarriff arrangements between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. This led to the "Pig War" of 1906-8.

  Austria-Hungary tried to strangle the Serbian Economy by banning imports of meat from Serbia consequently depriving it of an important source of revenue.
• Did the Austro-Hungarian plan for the Pig War work in their favour?

  It proved counterproductive and backfired - Serbia found other export markets most notably in France and Germany. As a result, by suspending trade with Serbia, it actually decreased Serb dependence on the Habsburg Empire and encouraged hopes that Serbia would soon be strong enough to lead the South Slav States a bid for independence away from Austria-Hungary.
• What else in 1908 did Austria-Hungary do that risked damaging relations between Russia?

  Austria-Hungary had plans to build a railway through the Sanjak of Novi Bazar which was a territory granted to it under the Berlin Treaty 1878. This angered Russia.

  The Sanjak was a province located between Serbia and Montenegro providing a convenient barrier for A-H.