Bosnian Crisis, 1908-09

The Bosnian Crisis, 1908-09

Two empires ruled territory in the Balkans, in south-east Europe – Austria-Hungary and Turkey. However, both empires were weak. The Slav people of the region – especially the Serbians – wanted to take advantage of this weakness and to create new, independent, Slav nations.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was particularly worried by the spread of Slav nationalism in the Balkans. No fewer than 15 different nationalities lived within the bounds of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If the idea of nationalism caught on elsewhere in Austria-Hungary as had in the Balkans, the empire would fall apart. Therefore, Austro-Hungarian politicians and generals were eager to eliminate Serbian…