THE BALKAN WAR
Germany and Austria were considering how the Turkish Empire could be
liquidated in a manner to secure the greatest advantage to themselves,
and in their egoistical view somewhat neglected the other factors in
the situation. Russia had great interests in the Balkans. Italy was
looking towards the time when her surplus population could be sent
there to colonise the rich lands that had been so neglected under the
rule of the Turks. The third factor--which Germany and Austria did not
think worth considering at all--was the Balkan peoples themselves.
Under Russian protection, they had conceived a grand scheme. A Balkan
League was formed. Bulgaria, Servia, Greece and Montenegro forgot
all their disputes and became allies. Their Ministers drew a map of
the Balkans, apportioning out among themselves the provinces that
then belonged to Turkey, the distribution being made according to the
nationality of the peoples who inhabited each district. Each country,
they considered, was to be ruled over by a king of its own nationality,
if possible. All the Bulgars in Macedonia were to be united under the
sceptre of King Ferdinand. The Kingdom of Servia was to stretch to the
Adriatic, Albania was to be divided between Montenegro and Servia.
Both countries would then have fine ports in the Adriatic. Greece was
to extend her coastline considerably. She was to have those parts of
Macedonia and of Albania that were inhabited by Greeks.
The Bulgarian people were the soul of this movement for liberation.
King Ferdinand, who was always a German at heart, and who ruthlessly
betrayed his adopted country to serve German interests, was probably
dragged into the scheme by his enthusiastic people very much against
his will. The Bulgars who lived in Austria and in Hungary boldly said
that they had been preparing for the war against Turkey for forty
years. “Every effort has been made by great and small for nearly half
a century to throw off the Turkish yoke, and at last we shall do it,”
they said. And this in spite of the Germanophile King. Bulgarian
gardeners, who are employed all over Eastern Europe because of their
extraordinary skill, came to Hungary, toiled through a lifetime, saving
every possible penny of their earnings to return home with money for
the war fund. Their hate of the Turks was intense. They wished to free
their fellow Bulgars, who were oppressed by the Turkish tax-gatherers,
and who had very little benefit in return for years of toil spent in
cultivating tobacco-fields. While the Bulgars themselves were working
for an ideal, Ferdinand and his Ministers wished to take possession of
the rich tobacco-lands in Macedonia, which brought large revenues to
the Turkish State. The Bulgars’ great enthusiasm was only damped by a
profound mistrust of their Prince. They knew that Ferdinand ranked as
one of the best diplomatists in Europe, and were proud to have so rich
a man upon their throne. But they felt that in the difficult enterprise
they were about to undertake a monarch with more honesty of purpose
would have been fitter to deal with the situation.
Although the Balkan League was formed with the ostensible purpose of
freeing Balkan lands from Turkish rule, the discontent in the Balkans
was due to other causes. Montenegro had no outlet to the sea that was
suitable or big enough for her needs. If she had possessed Cattaro,
one of the many excellent ports on the Hungarian coast, Servian goods
could have been exported as well as Montenegrin products. It was
Austria-Hungary who always opposed this. If she had allowed the Serbs
to send their agricultural products to other parts of Europe beyond
the Austro-Hungarian frontier all would have been well. There was a
shortage of meat in Germany and Italy, as well as in Austria itself.
But Austria, to please the Hungarian agrarians, interfered with all
export trade into Austria or Germany, and thus made the Slavs on the
Balkans determined to find an outlet to the sea.
The Balkan war was really the curtain-raiser to the Great War. The King
of Montenegro was the first to begin. His troops were mobilised in
twenty-four hours. The Balkan League had advised him that the war was
about to begin, but it is more than possible that his very precipitate
action hastened a war that was not perhaps inevitable. The news that
Montenegro had mobilised was not taken seriously in Vienna. A story
went the round of the cafés that it was all a put-up affair. Nikita,
they said, had been engaged by Pathé Frères, he was to receive a
large sum of money for the films of a real mobilisation, and perhaps a
miniature battle with the Turks thrown in. Very soon, however, it was
seen that the Balkans were in deadly earnest. The Austrians, who knew
something of the fighting qualities of the Turks, never doubted that
they would have a complete walkover. The Turks had money, they had
arms. The Balkan peoples had none. Austria was perhaps not aware that
Germany had supplied Bulgaria with large stores of guns and ammunition.
The poor Balkan people had paid very dearly for the antique patterns,
and been swindled most atrociously over the whole deal. The sights of
the guns were wrong, and the Bulgarian gunners had had no instruction
in their work.
Servia was supplied with French guns, and French gunners accompanied
the consignments to their destination, and taught the Serbs how to
manage the complicated weapons. Montenegro was well supplied with
ammunition. Where did it come from? The wild mountain tribes, both in
Montenegro and in Albania, were always supplied with the latest thing
in rifles and full supplies of ammunition. They had been disarmed time
and time again, but they merely surrendered ancient heirlooms, rifles
that served their grandfathers or great grandfathers. The good weapons
were hidden in caves in the mountains, or buried until better times
came, and they could carry them again.
The first Balkan war began, and the unexpected happened. Turkish
troops were routed by the Bulgars, who fought with a courage and a
determination that won them the respect of Europe. The Bulgars pushed
on to Adrianople, but could not take it because the German guns were
useless. The Bulgars raged against the Germans. Did the Germans simply
look upon them as savages who could be supplied with inferior goods,
or had they supplied the guns knowing that they would be used against
the Turks? Neither Germany nor Austria wished the Turks to be defeated.
They were pleased that the Balkan peoples should be weakened by
fighting among themselves, but were very surprised and disappointed at
the course taken by the war and the total defeat of Turkey.
After the war was over, the Balkan peoples began dividing up the
spoils. Austria, with Germany behind her, interfered in the settlement.
She would not allow Servia to have the territory she had conquered in
Albania, or any outlet to the sea. Servia thereupon demanded part of
Macedonia, instead of the territory assigned her by the preliminary
agreement. Ferdinand of Bulgaria was inclined to yield this, but
Austria encouraged him to stand firm, promising to help him if he
could not defeat that handful of savages, the Serbs. Russia, who had
encouraged the formation of the Balkan League, saw that if the States
began fighting among themselves, they would lose all their gains, and
publicly advised the Balkan kings to refrain from fighting and to be
satisfied with the land they had conquered. The States had enlarged
their borders considerably; it would take years to consolidate them.
Russia counselled them to attend to that business first, and then
think of further conquests. This counsel did not please Bulgaria. King
Ferdinand wired to Vienna for advice. Austria-Hungary and Germany
saw their chance. The Balkan peoples were disunited. They must be
encouraged to fight among themselves. Austria, acting without Germany,
despatched a two-thousand word telegram to Ferdinand of Bulgaria. It
promised an attack upon Servia from behind, while she was engaged
with Bulgaria in front. The preparations made just before an army is
mobilised were hastily put through. Men were warned for active service,
and every preparation made for starting a Balkan campaign. When
everything was ready Austria-Hungary notified her allies. It was soon
apparent that they refused to join in the campaign, or even to stand by
their ally.
Italy--as was discovered long after--said that the Triple Alliance was
defensive, and not offensive. She not only refused to aid Austria, but
would not promise to remain neutral during the expedition. Germany,
seeing that an Austrian expedition to the Balkans meant trouble with
Italy, persuaded Austria to back out of her promise. Germany was not
sorry that Austrian prestige should suffer. She did everything she
could to discredit her ally in the Balkans.
When Bulgaria had been completely beaten by her despised neighbour,
Serbia, Rumania fell upon her from behind and annexed a large piece
of territory. Ferdinand’s treachery to his allies had met with the
deserved reward. The Kaiser had no pity for him, and was not slow to
point out that whoever relied upon Austria was deceived. Had Ferdinand
applied to Berlin, instead of to Vienna, things would have gone
differently.
Ferdinand, broken, aged, a politician who has lost his game, a King
bereft of territory, a soldier who had been defeated, fled from
Sofia to Vienna. At last he was forced to leave even that refuge. If
Austria-Hungary had meant to leave him to unravel the tangled skein
she had encouraged him to weave, she should have told him so before,
and not abandoned him in the darkest hour of his life. The Emperor
felt the justice of the reproaches that Ferdinand made him. He wished
to be rid of the troublesome monarch. The Vienna Press was let loose
upon Ferdinand. Stories to his discredit were circulated everywhere.
While his wife comforted the wounded, said the leading papers, he
stayed in the capital because he was afraid to return. He spent his
time in frivolity, joking with ballet girls behind the scenes, while
his consort was purchasing artificial limbs for the maimed from the
money that should have been devoted to her own personal uses. Ferdinand
soon discovered that in Vienna, as elsewhere, nothing succeeds like
success, and that failures are not wanted, either there or in other
foreign countries. He crept back to his summer palace, had the guards
doubled, and lived in fear and trembling. His throne was so shaken that
it seemed very doubtful whether it would regain its equilibrium.
In disavowing Ferdinand Austria-Hungary lost her influence in the
Balkans.
At this period Russia and Italy, the new Balkan Powers, were in the
ascendant. Austria advised Ferdinand to wait his time, when Bulgaria
would be able to take vengeance upon her neighbours, and reap the
reward of her treachery. Ferdinand, thoroughly tired of promises, and
bitterly regretting his treachery to his allies, which had brought him
the reward he so richly deserved, thanked fate that his wife and sons
were popular in the country, and that he could leave for his Hungarian
estates. He was sure that they could look after the interests of the
dynasty much better during his absence than when he was there, only
able to make lame explanations of his conduct in the past and his
inexplicable quarrel with the other Balkan States.