History of the World War, Volume 3 (of 7) : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest warMarch, Francis A., Jr.
History
History of the World War, Volume 3 (of 7) : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest war
March, Francis A., Jr.
World War, 1914-1918
War was declared, and Turkey was decisively defeated, and then the
trouble began. Serbia and Bulgaria had been particularly anxious for an
outlet to the sea, and in the treaty between them it had been arranged
that Serbia should have an outlet on the Adriatic, while Bulgaria
was to obtain an outlet on the Ægean. The Triple Alliance positively
refused Serbia its share of the Adriatic coast. Serbia insisted,
therefore, on a revision of the treaty, which would enable her to have
a seaport on the Ægean.
An attempt was made to settle the question by arbitration, but King
Ferdinand refused, whereupon, in July, 1913, the Second Balkan War
began. Bulgaria was attacked by Greece and Serbia, and Turkey took
a chance and regained Adrianople, and even Roumania, which had been
neutral in the First Baltic War, mobilized her armies and marched
toward Sofia. Bulgaria surrendered, and on the 10th of August the
Treaty of Bucharest was signed by the Balkan States.
As a result of this Bulgaria was left in a thoroughly dissatisfied
state of mind. She had been the leader in the war against Turkey, she
had suffered heavy losses, and she had gained almost nothing. Moreover
she had lost to Roumania, a territory containing a quarter of a million
Bulgarians, and a splendid harbor on the Black Sea. Serbia and Greece
were the big winners. Such a treaty could not be a final settlement.
The Balkans were left seething with unrest. Serbia, though she had
gained much, was still dissatisfied. Her ambitions, however, now turned
in the direction of the Jugoslavs under the rule of Austria, and it
was her agitation in this matter which directly brought on the Great
War. But Bulgaria was sullen and ready for revenge. When the Great
War began, therefore, Roumania, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece were
strongly in sympathy with Russia, who had been their backer and friend.
Bulgaria, in spite of all she owed to Russia in the early days, was
now ready to find protection from an alliance with the Central Powers.
Her feeling was well known to the Allies, and every effort was made to
obtain her friendship and, if possible, her aid.
Viviani, then Premier of France, in an address before the French
Chamber of Deputies, said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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