The Balkan States

"There will be trouble in the Balkans come spring"
--British Joke

The Balkan States are sometimes credited with starting the war for assassinating the Austrian ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

All of this was part of the struggle for independence from Austria-Hungary. Unfortunately, the troubled Balkan region and their issues are still not fully solved today.

Italian reunification inspired the Balkans to find their own nationalistic values and form their own countries. For this goal however, they were united.

They called upon the Russians to help them, as they were all Slavs. Russia, considering herself the 'protector of the Slavs' agreed to help. The Balkans were also the reason why Russia armed and prepared for war with Austria-Hungary, setting off the chain reaction to the beginning of World War I.

The Balkans were taken over in the war for a time, and were liberated by the Allies after the defeat of the Central Powers. This led to the creation of Yugoslavia. However, fighting would continue (there is still some fighting today) as separate states within Yugoslavia wanted their own independence as well.

PUNCH Cartoon on the Balkan Troubles- It was only a matter of time until the situation in the Balkans caused a problem.