Southern Europe

Introducing some key players in the great war

WWI

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire

- Turkish- Muslim

empire

(Modern day Turkey)

The Ottoman Empire How did it get so big?

• Strong military• Europe was

usually at war with itself

• Tolerant of Judaism and Christianity at time when there wasn’t a lot of tolerance

Millet System allowed communities to have their own leaders, courts, tax collection, laws

The Ottoman Empire How did it get so big?

So… Ottoman rule spread South and East over 600 years.

The Ottoman Empire in decline

• Fell behind in industrialization, naval power, resource extraction, infrastructure

• Indirect Rule led to losing territory to independence movements and European powers

The Ottoman Empire in decline

• How did this Ottoman-style indirect rule differ from British-style indirect rule?

Ottoman Nationalism threatened Millet System, gave rise to more independence movements

Serbia

Serbia

• Has a history of being invaded

• Austria and Ottomans historically fought over Serbia

Maintained a sense of Serbian identity, despite 400 years of Turkish rule.

Why…

Serbia• Serbian Orthodox

Church • Turkish civil policies

(such as tax collection) fostered local village leadership

Serbia• 1804 Serbian NATIONALIST revolution - the first time a Christian population had risen up against Ottomans

• Angry about being passed around between Ottomans and Austrians

• Saw role-model in Russia (which was Slavic, busy modernizing, and was a source of competition for the Ottomans)

Serbia after Congress of Vienna (1815)

Serbia before WWI

• Becomes independent Kingdom in 1882…

• Neighboring Bosnia controlled by Austria-Hungary

Pan-Slavism

• Slavic language family, sense of shared identity

• 19th c. movement focused on the Balkans

The Black Hand• Secret society in

Serbia, created 1911

• Wanted to unite Southern Slavs

• Spread anti-Austrian propaganda

• Used assassination as a means of coercion