The

Second
Balkan Crisis
BY LENNA RT, D A NT E, A I, A NIKA A ND CA RL

Which parties were involved in the crisis?

Bulgaria
Serbia
Romania
Greece
Montenegro
Ottoman Empire
In 1913 the Balkan countries turned on each other and fought among
themselves for power.

What were the underlying conditions

prior to the crisis?
The Balkan peninsula was a very unstable area.
It was an area where multiple different nationalities were mixed together
The area was formerly ruled by Turkey, but the Turkish power was in decline
The new government rule which was set up in place of Turkey was often full of disagreement
and dispute between the countries
Two large powerful nations, Russia and Austria-Hungary wanted to control the area, as it gave
them access to the Mediterranean.

Where did the 2nd Balkan Crisis happen?

The 2nd Balkan Crisis happened around the Balkan Peninsula, this includes countries such as
Austria-Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, etc. The 2nd Balkan Crisis took place in the
Northern Hemisphere, in South Eastern Europe. The Balkans are surrounded by a rocky mountain
range, a good defensive environment.

What were the causes of theBalkan

crisis?
The second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share
of the recourses they gained in the first Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and
Greece.
Serbian and Greek armies fought back the Bulgarian offense and counter-attacked, entering
Bulgaria.
With Bulgaria also having previously engaged in territorial disputes with Romania, this war
started Romanian intervention against Bulgaria. (Territorial dispute is a disagreement over the
possession of land)
The Ottoman empire also took advantage of the situation to take back some lost territories from
the previous war.
When Romanian troops approached the capital Sofia, Bulgaria asked for a truce, resulting in the
Treaty of Bucharest, in which Bulgaria had to give portions of its First Balkan War gains to Serbia,
Greece and Romania.

What happened in the 2nd Balkan Crisis?

The second Balkan Crisis, during 1912-1913, included two Balkan wars.
1912-The first Balkan war: The Ottoman Empire controlled the Balkan countries which were
Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, and Montenegro, and they had formed the Balkan league. The Balkans
fought against the Ottoman Empire and won their independence.
1913-The second Balkan war: The second war consisted of the Balkan countries and fought each
other, this led to Serbia becoming a very powerful country. Serbia started to think about
attacking Austria-Hungary. Soon enough Austria-Hungary became worried as their enemies
started to grow stronger.

How is the crisis linked to starting WW1

After the 2nd Balkan Crisis, Austria-Hungary was
looking for an excuse to start a revenge war against
Serbia for taking land and resources. After Franz
Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, was shot and
killed by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian assassin, which
was a perfect excuse for Austria-Hungary to declare
war after an unachievable request for resources
was made to Serbia by Austria-Hungary. They made
the request of resources unachievable to make it
look like they gave Serbia a chance of preventing
the war that was soon to follow.

Timeline of events
1908 The first Balkan crisis commenced. Austria took control of provinces of
Bosnia and Herzegovina with Russia and Serbia protesting against it.
1912/1913 The second Balkan crisis commenced. This included 2 Balkan wars,
in which Serbia emerged as the strongest nation in the Balkans, causing Austria
to take action against Serbia.
1914 Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, leading to the events that would end
up causing the first world war and giving Austria an excuse to crush Serbia.
1914-1918 World War 1

Works Cited
http://quicksmartrevision.weebly.com/the-balkan-crises.html
http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/balkan_wars_1912-1913
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_THHAOkJ84L4/TTzLw3uX22I/AAAAAAAAAnk/a6QQO6vNdpE/s1600/Balkan+Peninsula+1878+1912.bmp
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/1871-1914/section9.rhtml
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/balkan-2.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-27/timeline-balkans-conflict/399616
Page 10/11 "GCSE modern world history second edition" by Ben Walsh
https://global.britannica.com/topic/Balkan-Wars
http://www.tc-america.org/resource-center/tca-fact-sheet-the-first-balkan-war-571.htm