The Inevitable Causes Of World War I

The most well-known cause for the start of World War I is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. At the surface, this complicated event provides little insight to the conditions that truly caused World War I. These conditions were caused by the original reasons for the Balkan War. The circumstances set by the events and The Treaty of Versailles of World War I laid the groundwork for World War II. Similarly, the Balkan War set the stage for the First World War. These surrounding circumstances were the growing nationalism, drive for power, and high tensions between nations. Each of the mentioned causes set the stage for even more conflict within Europe. It is often wondered whether World War II was preventable, which prompts
When chain of questions reaches 1812, one must ask whether the Balkan War inevitable or not? The answer to this question is: yes, the war in the Balkans was inevitable. The idea of nationalism and human’s inherent lust for power. that sparked the first Balkan war in 1812 had already taken root in the rest of the European nations of the time as well.

The Balkan War can be separated into two wars which occurred almost right after eachother. The Balkan War can either be seen as two separate wars or two, distinct halves of one war. Most often the latter is applicable. The second Balkan war in June of 1813 was a direct result of the first Balkan war that was ended by the Treaty of London only a month before, on May 30th, 1813. The second Balkan war was also ended by a treaty; the Treaty of Bucharest (Kolev 46). The first Balkan war involved Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire. At the time, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro were part of the Balkan League. The Balkan League was formed with Russian guidance and support. The Balkan league was a created by a sequence of treaties between its members. These treaties signed between the
Originally, Serbia had agreed to share Macedonia’s land with Bulgaria after retrieving it from Ottoman rule (Seitz). However, this came with the price of Bulgaria’s military support. Serbia did not honour this treaty and took almost all of Macedonia’s land for itself. Nationalistic views caused Serbia to believe they deserved the land originally promised to Bulgaria. Tension between other nations of the league and Bulgaria grew for various reasons. These prior conditions resulted in Bulgaria fighting the remaining Balkan League members: Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania (Bregu). As well as what remained of the Ottoman Empire. After one month of bloody conflict Bulgaria agreed to sign the Treaty of Bucharest (Seitz). The Treaty of Bucharest was signed on August 10, 1913 by Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. Bulgaria was forced to accept the terms the other nations had decided on (Schurman 41). The most prominent effect of the Bucharest Treaty was Bulgaria’s loss of the Macedonian land originally promised to Bulgaria, to the other Balkan nations. Serbia reaped the benefits of the treaty and almost doubled its area. The second war increased the sense of nationalism in Serbia as they were most successful in obtaining land. Greece saw similar benefits, nearly doubling its population, along with receiving the island of Crete (Kolev 108). While Bulgaria got the short end