Bezbednosni Dijalozi (Dec 2013)
Territory of Macedonia in meeting the aspirations of the Balkan states and great powers
Abstract
The desire of the Balkan peoples to gain their large national states will be the main cause of the Balkan wars. A Balkan war has left open burning questions that are still subject to controversy and potential producers of instability. The model of large nationalist states which was successfully applied by some Western European countries proved to be devastating for the Balkan states. In an attempt to follow the hawkish method of unification of Italy and Germany, at the beginning of the last century Balkan countries has started a war against Turkey and war between themselves. And although their aspirations weren’t fully satisfied, however, it can be noted that with the exception of the Macedonian people, the period of the Balkan wars is the only instance in modern history where some people have achieved their nationalistic goals. After the Young Turk Revolution, the Balkan nations will form the Balkan League and will begin accelerated preparations for war. Efforts of the Great Powers to prevent the outbreak of war were insufficient and futile. By the end of November 1912 armies of the Balkan League in the war against the Ottoman Empire has been victorious almost everywhere. After the signing of the armistice on the ground, the diplomatic arena will be transferred to London. Two simultaneous conferences are held there in December 1912 in order to be determining the fate of the Balkan Peninsula. By the spring of 1913, antagonism between the Balkan allies has reached the endpoint. The new War for Bulgarians was a chance to annul the established alliance with Serbia in order to be gained all of Macedonia. In that way, Greater Bulgaria could better dominate the Balkans. Greeks and Serbs haven’t been not only faced with the possibility of sharing the rich region with each other but also to prevent the Bulgarian hegemony. At the end of the Second Balkan War, the Treaty of Bucharest on 10th August 1913 will be signed between Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. All participants in the Balkan wars have suffered disappointment and defeat in trying to realize the question introduced at war. But the real sufferers are the Macedonians who were subject to division.
