The Austro-Hungarian Empire

The Balkan peninsula stood at the centre of Austria-Hungary’s foreign policy: it wanted to strengthen its influence there and limit Russia’s. To that end it allied with Germany in 1879 (with Italy from 1882 – the Triple Alliance). The 1878 Congress of Berlin gave it the right to administer Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 1908 it annexed these lands, which worsened relations with Russia and Serbia. The Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912 weakened the Ottomans, and in 1912 Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece formed the Balkan League and began the First Balkan War. After victory the division of territory caused disputes, and in the Second Balkan War of 1913 Bulgaria was defeated; Serbia grew stronger. Austria-Hungary regarded Serbia as a threat, began preparing for war and became more dependent on Germany. On 28 June 1914 (the textbook wrongly says 28 July) in Sarajevo a Bosnian Serb nationalist killed the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand; this became the pretext for war.