Europe Was Sitting on a Powder Keg, Giving Off Sparks – Russian Pan Slavism, Serbia, and Austria-Hungary
Even as German nationalists were whipping their public’s passions into a frenzy, Russian nationalists were doing the same in Russia. The latter advanced a theory of pan-Slavism, in which Russia was responsible for protecting Europe’s fellow Slavs – and most Slavs outside Russia’s borders were being oppressed or menaced by Austria-Hungary.
Russia sought (and still does) to present herself as champion of the Slavs, and in line with that, she promised to support Slav Serbia against Austria-Hungary’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, Russia was forced to back down in 1909 after Austria-Hungary and Germany threatened war. Russia was in no condition to fight at the time, and her French ally was lukewarm about going to war over the issue. The humiliation hardened Russian attitudes, and they determined to stand firm in the next showdown involving Russia’s status as protector of fellow Slavs.
In the meantime, Russia’s most turbulent fellow Slav state was Serbia, whose government sought to gather all Serbs and Serb speakers into a Greater Serbia. Unfortunately, most fellow Serbs lived not in Serbia, but within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so the Serbian press engaged in virulent anti-Austrian agitation
Serbia became what would be considered today a state sponsor of terrorism, with Serbian government officials supporting terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing Austria-Hungary. Understandably, that did not sit well with the Austro-Hungarians, who grew increasingly eager for an opportunity to put an end to it by crushing Serbia once and for all.