By Mr L. M. Potts
Pan-Slavism (meaning the union of Slavic peoples under one political organisation), gained momentum during the mid-C19th in what is now the Czech Republic. After years of establishing a strong Slavic identity through common cultural facets such as folklore and music, the Pan-Slavic movement transformed into a political entity. In June 1848, the Habsburg Empire was weakened by revolution which created the opportunity for historian Frantisek Palacky to convene a Slav congress in Prague. With representatives from all Slav nationalities in the empire, their aim was to convince the Emperor to transform the empire into a federation with equal rights for all people under a democratic Habsburg rule. Although the congress achieved little, the ideal of a unified, self-determining Slavic nation spread east and south into the Balkans and Russia.
As the Ottoman Empire began to decline, a number of Balkan states such as Serbia and Montenegro declared independence, and thus multiplied nationalist ambitions for the creation of a South Slav state (Yugoslavia). Alarmingly for Austria-Hungary, these ambitions were reciprocated by nationalists in vast areas of the Habsburg Empire and its sphere of influence including: Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. As a response, Austria-Hungary appointed Alois von Aehrenthal as Foreign Minister and Franz von Hotzendorf as Chief of the General Staff. Both men were determined to halt the decline of the Habsburg Empire which by default made both men, and indeed the empire, adversaries of the Pan-Slavic movement. With Austria-Hungary determined to not only preserve their empire, but to also fully annex Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Ottoman Empire still holding onto areas such as Macedonia and Albania, the Pan-Slavic ambitions of a Yugoslavia would not become a reality without conflict. Furthermore, many high ranking members of the Russian government were passionate supporters of Pan-Slavism and could see opportunity for Russia to gain political dominance over large parts of Europe. With this in mind, Russia declared itself the ‘protector of Slavs’, and offered support to the new Balkan states. This then, placed Russia in direct opposition with the Ottoman and Habsburg empires as they sought to capitalise on their declining power and influence. Therefore, the Balkan region was at the centre of the conflicting ambitions of three great empires, nationalist ambitions and political uncertainty.
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