Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/353

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JUGOSLAVIA 289 JUGO-SLAVIA the walnut the order includes the butter- nut and hickory. JUGO-SLAVIA, Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (literally the land of the Southern Slavs), represents what has been for the past generation a national ideal, only realized since the close of the World War. Jugo-Slavia, as a territory, includes Serbia, Monte- negro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dalmatia and Croatia, all of which countries are inhabited by peoples of Serbian blood, speaking only slightly varying tongues, and whose most perfect literary form is represented by the Serbian. Among all these there has naturally been a desire to unite into one single nationality. This desire has manifested itself in two ways; the ambition on the part of the ruling house of Serbia to unite all these peoples under an imperial Serbian Em- pire, a "Greater Serbia;" and, on the other hand, the patriotic wish of the common people to form a union, or con- federacy, of all these Slavic states under a democratic government. This latter movement is more properly expressed in the name Jugo-Slavia. But the two pur- poses have commonly worked together with the single aim of first freeing the greater part of the Southern Slavs from Austrian domination. This movement to- ward Serbian nationality may properly be considered to have been one of the chief, if not the chief, causes of the World War. Practically all of the Balkan Penin- sula, with the exception of Greece, Al- bania and Rumania, is populated by Slavic peoples. All of these were sub- merged more or less by the Turkish invasion during the late Middle Ages. With the development of Christian civili- zation, however, the Turks were gradu- ally driven back, chiefly by the two big empires, Russia and Austria. At times the little Balkan nationalities were com- pelled to call on them for aid, but with the inevitable result that they were com- pelled to pay the price asked, which was annexation. Thus their national aspira- tions were crushed by their very deliver- ers. Gradually they came to realize that if they were to» gain independence they must fight their own battles. In 1878 the Slavs of the Balkan Pen- insula planned an uprising. Serbia at that time, limited to a small territory in what is known as Serbia proper, then en- joyed a large measure of local autonomy, while Montenegrro, on account of its im- preg-nable position in the mountains, has been practically independent during all the Turkish occupation. Bulgaria, how- ever, was entirely subjugated, and here the uprising was precipitated. " It was cruelly suppressed, with such horrors that Russia immediately made them the pretext for a war of "liberation." The Turks were driven back by the Russians, Serbia and Rumania assisting. As a result of the objections of the other European nations, however, Bulgaria, which was liberated, could not be an- nexed, but was created into a free state, under a Prince, nominally subservient to the Sultan. Serbia became entirely free, under her King. But Bosnia and Her- zegovina were handed over to the admin- istration of Austria, though the Sultan was still the nominal sovereign. This was a sore blow to the aspira- tions of the Serbs, who had hoped to gain a "Greater Serbia" as a result of their assistance in driving the Turks back toward Constantinople. From this time on began the Jugo-Slav movement, radi- ating from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Naturally, this propaganda ran counter to the ambitions of both Russia and Austria, but especially of the latter, for Austria desired to incorporate Bosnia and Herzegovina within her empire, as she had already done with Dalmatia and Croatia. Russia desired to acquire Bul- garia and the territory down to and in- cluding Constantinople. But Bulgaria had her own nationalistic aspirations, and in places, especially down in Turk- ish Macedonia, these overlapped with those of Serbia. For this reason^ these two centers of nationalism, Bulgaria and Serbia, found it almost impossible to co- operate, and thereby weakened their com- mon front against the two big empires advancing on them down the Peninsula. In 1908 Austria issued an official proclamation formally annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was a direct blow at the aspirations of the Jugo- slavs. But Serbia was in no position to make war on Austria. Instead she came to an understanding with Bulgaria, and the two agreed to unite temporarily and by their joint effort drive the Turks out of Europe and divide Macedonia between them. Greece and Montenegro joined the Alliance. In 1912 their plans ma- tured and the ^ First Balkan War was precipitated, with unexpected success to the Balkan allies. For the moment it seemed that two powerful Balkan na- tionalities were to be the result. But this could not be tolerated by either Austria or Russia. Both these big empires began intriguing against the co-operative spirit which had developed between the Bulgars and Serbs. Aus- tria insisted that Albania remain free, and denied Serbia the right to an opening on the Adriatic, which had been agreed