AQA History: The Bosnian Crisis of 1908 - 1909

The Bosnian Crisis of 1908 - 1909

The first Bosnia crisis occurred in 1908 to 1909. The Balkans were controlled by the Ottoman Empire also known as the Turkish Empire. The Balkans were a very poor area of south-eastern Europe which consisted of many small countries.

The Turkish Empire was very weak and the Balkans were in the process of becoming independent from the Empire.

People called it ‘The Sick Man of Europe’.

This area was taken by Slavs (Slavic people). Serbia was the leading Slav state in the Balkans and aimed to unite all the Slavs in the region.

Austria-Hungary was concerned about the Balkans. Austria-Hungary had an Empire full of many different races and one of these races was Slavs. Austria-Hungary was worried that they would join with the other Slavs in the Balkans under Serbia. If this happened, many of the other races in Austria-Hungary would also want independence and this could break up their Empire.

In 1908 there was a revolution in Turkey. Austria-Hungary took advantage of this and annexed (join/unite/take possession of) Bosnia and eHHerzegovina which were part…