The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 364

Chapter 364: Chapter 313: Balkan War Flames

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Speaking of the first major event of 1912, it must be the compromise of British Empire in warship construction.

Although the modification of the naval plan was not publicized broadly, the sudden cancellation of certain shipbuilding plans by certain British shipyards still attracted media attention throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, especially the Germans.

Originally, everyone thought the British must be preparing a big move, but after waiting for a long time, those shipyards that canceled their shipbuilding tasks had no news, which forced everyone to believe one fact: the British Empire actually compromised on warship construction.

For the German Empire, this might be the best news in the second decade of the 20th century.

If everything were to go according to the British’s previous crazy construction plan, the High Seas Fleet could never possibly compete against the Royal Fleet.

Moreover, Germany has potential in its army and cannot spend all of its defense budget on building its navy.

The Germans wouldn’t be foolish enough to cripple their own military power, especially as they were the world’s strongest army.

German media widely publicized the British retreat as a fear and incapacity of Germany’s growing military strength and proudly declared that the German Empire would soon welcome another great victory.

Just when Europe was experiencing drastic changes due to the British retreat, a war was quietly being planned in a part of Europe: the Balkan Region.

The Balkan region is uniquely positioned, as it has Russian interests and those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Even countries such as Italy, Britain, and Germany, which are powerful, have significant interests in the region.

Located at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the Balkan Peninsula is the vital route from Europe to the Middle East and Near East and has a significant geographical position.

Located at the junction of Europe and Asia, Constantinople controls the junction of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and determines whether the Russian Black Sea Fleet can reach the Mediterranean Sea and ultimately the ocean.

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In addition, the strategic resources within the Balkan Peninsula are immensely rich, and it has naturally also been a battleground for major powers.

This small peninsula has numerous ethnicities. These ethnic groups’ languages, cultures, religious beliefs, and customs are not identical and are in conflict with each other.

The Balkan Peninsula almost became a gathering point for various contradictions before World War, with not only the conflicts between European powers – German-Austrian-Russian contradictions, British-German contradictions, Austrian-Italian contradictions, British-Russian contradictions – but also the conflicts between ethnic groups, that is, the contradictions between various Balkan nationalities and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire.

Besides, the contradictions among the Balkan countries’ nationalities are also an essential factor leading to the unstable Balkan situation. These various contradictions overlap, crisscross, and are complicated, making this region a famous powder keg in Europe.

The poor performance of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the war with the Kingdom of Italy accelerated the formation of the Balkan League and prepared for the war.

Although the participating countries in the Balkan league have different goals, they have a common enemy: the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which has enslaved the region.

The Balkan League is composed of the Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Kingdom of Montenegro. Among them, the most important and the two strongest countries form an alliance – the alliance between Serbia and Bulgaria.

According to the alliance treaty signed by Serbia and Bulgaria, if any of the two countries is violated by one or more countries, the other party has the responsibility to provide full support.

Additionally, both parties arranged the timing of the war against Turkey and the issue of dividing Turkey. They agreed to notify Russia first during the war and submit any disputes between the two countries to Russia for arbitration.

From the alliance treaty between Serbia and Bulgaria, one can see Russia’s attempt to establish hegemony over the Slavic countries by becoming the arbiter of all issues in the Balkan region.

In this way, Russia could control Constantinople and the only strait that would allow the Black Sea Fleet to reach the Mediterranean Sea.

When French Prime Minister Laurence Peng first learned of the treaty between Serbia and Bulgaria, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is a treaty entirely prepared for war!”

Later, he commented on the treaty in his notes, “This treaty not only harbors the seeds of war against the Ottoman Turkish Empire but also conceals the seeds of war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It further establishes Russia’s hegemony over the Slavic countries because, according to the treaty’s provisions, Russia will become the arbiter of all issues in this region.”

It has been more than six months since the establishment of the Balkan League. During this time, the countries of the Balkan League have been expanding their militaries on a large scale, with clear intentions.

In February 1912, Bulgaria issued an ultimatum to the Ottoman Turkish Empire, demanding autonomy for the Macedonian Region.

At this time, Turkey, due to its war with Italy, was already exhausted domestically but was not willing to give in. Therefore, it decided not to respond to Bulgaria’s ultimatum and try to delay as much as possible.

The situation in the Balkan region quickly attracted the attention and alertness of the major powers of Europe.

Because the region’s importance is so high, European countries are unwilling to lose interest in the area.