History Essay by Aarav

The outbreak of World War I has had a long and complicated build up. Tensions between
empires have been rising throughout the previous century. Many alliances, treaties and
conflicts lead to the war outbreaking in 1914. The Balkan disputes played a significant role in
the igniting the tensions which led to the global conflict. Before the start of World War I, the
Balkan region was one of the hottest regions in terms of tension in Europe. This was caused
by major underdevelopment in the region, causing instability, paired with territorial disputes,
and nationalism which lead to the Balkan wars. Lastly, the assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand is believed to be the immediate cause of World War I. While these factors did have
a major effect, we cannot forget about other factors that lead to the outbreak of World War I,
such as imperial rivalries, and militarism.
To start, lets discuss the Russo-Turk war of 1877. In summary, the war was caused because of
2 main reasons. Firstly the Ottoman Empire’s control over the Balkan region weakened,
which led to nationalist uprisings, and hopes for independence. And secondly, tension
between Russia and the Ottoman’s because of Russia’s desire for warm-water ports in the
Mediterranean. The war ended in March of 1878, with Russia returning victorious. Or did
they? The Treaty of Berlin, made during the Berlin congress was considered an
embarrassment for Russia. Russia expected to gain territory and influence in the Balkans with
their victory, However, due to the intervention of other major European powers, particularly
Britain and Germany, Russia's influence and control over the Balkans were heavily reduced.
The revision of the Treaty of San Stefano significantly reduced the size of Bulgaria, and
many other regions were given autonomy, or returned to the Ottomans. The Berlin Congress
really showed Russia’s isolation in terms of diplomacy, as their military efforts were
undermined by the rest of Europe. This of course increased tensions in the region, and further
tore apart Russia from the other European countries, which undoubtably had a significant
impact on the outbreak of World War I.
The decline of the Ottoman empire caused a power vacuum in the Balkans. Again, the
nationalism in the Balkans caused states to seek independence and expand their territories.
This eventually led to the formation of the Balkan League. Their goal was to drive out the
Ottomans and distribute the land for themselves. The league saw major success, capturing
most of the Ottoman controlled territory in the Balkans. However soon after, another Balkan
war emerged as a conflict between Bulgaria and its former allies, because of disagreements
on the division of territories. Bulgaria’s loss only fuelled more resentment towards their
former allies, setting up the stage for a larger conflict. The rivalry in the Balkans, and others
countries in Europe, slowly inched towards a breaking point that lead to World War I.
Lastly, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is known to be the immediate cause of
World War I, with some sourcing claiming the bullet shot by Gavrillo Princip was the first
bullet of the war. The assassination took place during a visit to Sarajevo, and was done by the
Black Hand, a secret Serbian society. After a previously unsuccessful assassination attempt
less then a hour before, Gavrillo Princip, a Bosnian Serb shot the Archduke and his wife,
killing them both. The assignation was done because of Serbian nationalists feared for their
independence. The heir to the throne was a great symbolic target, so the assassination
intended to weaken Austrian ruling over the area. While the Black Hand was never officially
endorsed or supported by the Serbian government, Austria-Hungary placed Serbia
accountable for the assassination. This grew on the already high tension between Austria-
Hungary, and the rest of the Balkan countries. After the assassination, a chain of events
occurred which led directly to the outbreak of World War I. Austria-Hungary sent an absurd
ultimatum to Serbia, with strict conditions, which Serbia would have to sign within 48 hours.
While Serbia wanted to avoid full-scale conflict, they agreed to meet most of the points, and
tried to set up a meeting to discuss demands on the ultimatum that infringed on Serbian
sovereignty. However Austria-Hungary intentionally designed the ultimatum to be rejected, to
give cause for military action. Serbia was backed by Russia, and Russia was backed by
France and Britian due to the Triple Entente, while Austria-Hungary was given a blank check
by Germany, which claimed they would give them whatever they needed to support the war.
This complex web of alliances was built and toned during the previous century, due to many
factors of tensions, in both the Balkans and other regions of the world.
Its undeniable that the Balkan disputes played a crucial role in the outbreak of World War I,
its important to acknowledge other factors that could of played a role. The Imperial rivalries
grew tension in other regions of the world, like Asia, and Africa, so a major war was
inevitable with the vast string of alliances. Also the rapid expansion of military strength after
the industrial revolutions were another factor of war. For example, Germany’s growing navy
fleet could be seen as a direct competition to Britain’s infamously powerful navy. The race
for colonies where a major reason for alliances like the Triple Entente, which lasted till the
end of World War I. Militarism between European countries also cannot be ignored, with
nationalism and an arms race in the decades prior to the war.
So, to conclude, while it is possible that the war could of happened without the Balkan
disputes due to already high tensions between European countries from other places in the
world, and a high drive for power, its undenayable that the Balkan disputes played a
significant role in the outbreak of World War I. The Balkan disputes led to formations of
military alliances among European nations, a rapid increase in tension between European
powers, and finally triggering the war with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Sources:
https://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/balkans/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Balkan-Wars
https://online.norwich.edu/six-causes-world-war-i
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Russo-Turkish-wars
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Hand-secret-Serbian-society
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/the-balkan-powder-
keg/#:~:text=Relations%20between%20Austria%20and%20Serbia,Hungary%20and%20Pan
%2DSlavic%20Serbia.
https://www.hoddereducation.com/media/Documents/History/Access-to-History_War-and-
Peace_International-Relations_sample-chapter.pdf