Pan Slavism

• Pan-Slavism, the nationalist ideal of uniting all Slavs who shared ethnic and cultural identities, had been a political force in Russia and Balkans for decades
• The creation of a South Slav state became the ultimate goal for Pan Slavism
• Russia, in its self-appointed role as ‘Protector of Slavs’, supported Serbia and Bulgaria, however, Austria-Hungary decided to take a more proactive role in defending its interests in the region
• This proactive approach was fostered by Alois von Aehrenthal, Foreign Minister, and Franz von Hotzendorf, Chief of General Staff

  ▪ They had a goal of preventing the decline of the Habsburg Empire
• Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, 1905, helped spark the first Russian Revolution in January 1905, after which pan-Slavism grew in Russia