Politics of the Balkans

The Balkan Peninsula encompasses the land between the Black Sea, Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean Seas. This region east of Europe, which included states and provinces such as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 1800s, was a hotbed of political unrest and violence. This area was the Ottoman Empire's European realm at the time, with many ethnic groups struggling for independence. Furthermore, the big countries were keenly interested in this region because of its strategic location.

Because of its cultural ties to the Slavic, Russia pursued a pan-Slavic foreign policy in the region, backing Bulgaria and Serbia. This was also in line with its goal of gaining access to Mediterranean waters from the Black Sea. The British wanted to prevent Russia from achieving their goal. As a result, they backed the Ottoman Empire's continuation. As did Austria-Hungary, which was made up of multinational groups and may have been damaged by the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The French desired to enhance their influence in the region, whilst Italy desired to prevent any significant sea power from accessing the Adriatic Sea. The Germans, on the other side, were planning to colonize the Ottoman Empire. As a result, the region was not incorrectly dubbed the "powder keg of Europe" The Balkans' politics were heating up, resulting in the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, which shattered the Ottoman Empire and lay the groundwork for World War I.