The Balkan Wars

Did you know that the Balkan Peninsula is often referred to as the "powder keg of Europe?" It was a term devised in the early 20th century to describe the unstable political situation in the region just before it exploded into a conflict known as the First World War. The Balkan Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro) and its allies and the Ottoman Empire. But these wars didn't involve any of the great European powers such as Germany, France, or the United Kingdom. This is what makes them less known, but they were crucial for the development of the European political scene. The Balkan Wars were first fought for ethnic groups that were ruled by the Ottoman Empire so they could gain their complete independence and expand their territory. Looking up to the successful western states, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece wanted to achieve national states with a territory that would gather all their ethnic brothers into one state. But the legacy of the Ottoman Empire lives on in the multiethnic hodgepodge of the Balkan Peninsula. Unlike Westerners, the Ottomans considered their faith to be the uniting factor, not the idea of belonging to a nation. This belief created the complex situation in the Balkans that lasts to this day. To understand this part of Europe, one must look into the past and understand the obscure and complex conflicts that are known as the Balkan Wars. This book will take you into the past and show you how it all started, from the creation of the Balkan League to the Bucharest Peace Conference. Read Captivating History's The Balkan Wars to understand the origins of the conflict, as well as: The national aspirations of the Balkan people How Bulgaria gained independence just to lose it against its will The creation of the Balkan League How Bulgarians pushed the Ottomans out of Thrace and Europe How they lost Macedonia, their ultimate goal, in the process The role of the Greek navy in the Balkan Wars How Greece took Thessaly and its main prize, the Port of Thessaloniki Why the Montenegrins were tied to Serbia and what their role in the war was Why Serbia and Greece agreed on an alliance Why Romania and the Ottoman Empire jumped into the conflict How it all ended with a peace treaty signed in Bucharest and Constantinople Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the Balkan Wars, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

Did you know that the Balkan Peninsula is often referred to as the "powder keg of Europe?" It was a term devised in the early 20th century to describe the unstable political situation in the region just before it exploded into a conflict known as the First World War. The Balkan Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro) and its allies and the Ottoman Empire. But these wars didn't involve any of the great European powers such as Germany, France, or the United Kingdom. This is what makes them less known, but they were crucial for the development of the European political scene. The Balkan Wars were first fought for ethnic groups that were ruled by the Ottoman Empire so they could gain their complete independence and expand their territory. Looking up to the successful western states, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece wanted to achieve national states with a territory that would gather all their ethnic brothers into one state. But the legacy of the Ottoman Empire lives on in the multiethnic hodgepodge of the Balkan Peninsula. Unlike Westerners, the Ottomans considered their faith to be the uniting factor, not the idea of belonging to a nation. This belief created the complex situation in the Balkans that lasts to this day. To understand this part of Europe, one must look into the past and understand the obscure and complex conflicts that are known as the Balkan Wars. This book will take you into the past and show you how it all started, from the creation of the Balkan League to the Bucharest Peace Conference. Read Captivating History's The Balkan Wars to understand the origins of the conflict, as well as: The national aspirations of the Balkan people How Bulgaria gained independence just to lose it against its will The creation of the Balkan League How Bulgarians pushed the Ottomans out of Thrace and Europe How they lost Macedonia, their ultimate goal, in the process The role of the Greek navy in the Balkan Wars How Greece took Thessaly and its main prize, the Port of Thessaloniki Why the Montenegrins were tied to Serbia and what their role in the war was Why Serbia and Greece agreed on an alliance Why Romania and the Ottoman Empire jumped into the conflict How it all ended with a peace treaty signed in Bucharest and Constantinople Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the Balkan Wars, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

Described as the "sick man of Europe" by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century was in terminal decline. The newly independent Balkan states--Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria--each had significant ethnic populations who had remained under Ottoman rule. Under the guidance of Russia, which had its own interests in south-east Europe, they joined forces against the Ottomans, under the name of the Balkan League, in 1912. In the first phase of the Balkan Wars, Bulgarian, Greek, Montenegrin and Serbian armies fought together against the Ottoman Empire, dealing the Ottomans a heavy defeat in a result that made headlines around the world. In the second phase, the Balkan states fought each other, and Romania also entered the war. In the conflict's aftermath, new borders failed to satisfy any of the belligerent parties. Interventions by the Great Powers further increased tensions in the region. As the ultimate result, the first bullet that triggered the First World War was fired in Sarajevo in June 1914. The causes and effects of the Balkan Wars have remained controversial despite the passage of time. In this volume, writers from various Balkan nations and from across various disciplines have come together under the aegis of the Balkan History Association to address little-known and little-studied aspects of the wars. Collectively they analyze a huge range of political, historical, medical, sociological and religious aspects of the conflict. The book, with its ground-breaking content and unique bibliographies, will be an important guide for undergraduate and graduate students studying the political, military and social history of the Balkan Wars and the Balkan nations. "The Balkan Wars of 1912/13 were a disaster for the Ottoman Empire, a triumph for the Balkan governments, and a tragedy for the population of the belligerent states.This well structured collection brings together contributors from various backgrounds. Together they help to understand overarching issues far beyond the military event, and especially the still underresearched Ottoman perspective." --Katrin Boeckh, LMU Munich/IOS Regensburg