question_answer 27)

Why did national tensions emerge in the Balkans?  

Answer:

Nationalist tension emerged in the Balkans because the Balkan states were aspiring for nationalism. The Balkans was a region comprising modern day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro and their inhabitants were called Slavs. The major portion of the Balkans was under the Ottoman Empire.  In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire attempted to remove the internal backwardness of the state and its people by adopting modern techniques, but could not succeed.   There was jealousy among the Balkan states and each hoped to expand the boundaries of their land. The ideology of Europe was changed during this period and liberal democratic feelings became a narrow creed with limited ends. There were intolerance towards each other and they were always ready to fight a war. The European powers, Russia, Germany Austria, Hungary and Britain were also interested to further their own imperialism. Besides during this period, these European powers were involved in an intense struggle over trade, colonies and naval and military might. Each power was keen on countering the hold of the other powers and extending its own control.