Describe the explosive conditions prevailed in Balkans after 1871 in Europe

Describe the explosive conditions prevailed in Balkans after 1871 in Europe.

Answer

Explosive condition of Balkans in 1871:

• The Balkans was a region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern days Romania, Bulgaria, Albania,
• Greece and Macedonia whose inhabitants were broadly known as Slavs.
• A large part of Balkans was under the control of Ottoman Empire.
• The spread of ideas of Romantic Nationalism in the Balkans together with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region explosive.
• All throughout the 19th century the Ottoman Empire had sought to strengthen itself.
• The Balkan people based their claims for independence or political rights on nationality and used history for their claim.
• Balkan also became the scene of rivalry among big powers.

The Balkans was a region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro whose inhabitants were broadly known as the Slavs. A large part of the Balkans was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans together with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.

All through the nineteenth century the Ottoman Empire had sought to strengthen itself through modernisation and internal reforms but with very little success. One by one, its European subject nationalities broke away from its control and declared independence.

The Balkan peoples based their claims for independence or political rights on nationality and used history to prove that they had once been independent but had subsequently been subjugated by foreign powers. Hence the rebellious nationalities in the Balkans thought of their struggles as attempts to win back their long-lost independence.