the beginnings of ottoman-german partnership - Bilkent University

B. International Affairs
As the second Constitution was being proclaimed in 1908, the Ottomans witnessed a
troubling international situation. Soon after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908,
Austria-Hungary formally annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria declared its
complete independence and annexed the autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia,
and Crete was united with Greece. While all these actions impacted the Ottomans,
further damaging their belief that the Powers would fulfill their obligation to protect
Ottoman integrity, none was more damaging than the Austrian action in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina on the pretext that Serbia
was getting stronger because of support from France and Russia. In September 1908,
Austria-Hungarian Foreign Minister Alois Lexa Aehrenthal met secretly with
Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Iswolsky in Buchlau, and reached an agreement
by which Russia agreed to the Austrian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in return
for the latter’s acceptance of Russia’s rights to occupy and control the Ottoman
Straits. The agreement was never put into force, however, because while France was
subsequently non-committal on the issue, Great Britain and Germany absolutely
opposed the plan, the latter because of the fear that it would jeopardize its economic
and political influence in the Ottoman Empire. Germany, however, did want a strong
Austria in the Balkans to prevent Russian expansion into the area, so it gave full
consent to Austria-Hungary's action in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 68
The Austria-Hungarian fait accompli provoked all the Balkan states and the
Great Powers. It was like a try-out of the First World War. 69 Serbia was ready for
68 Bury, pp. 132-134.
69 Sander, p. 250.
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