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THE THE FRENCH-GERMAN FRENCH-GERMAN ANTAGONISM
ANTAGONISM
IN IN THE THE BALKANS BALKANS BEFORE BEFORE WW WW I
I
FINANCE FINANCE AND AND ARMAMENTS
ARMAMENTS
THE THE CASE CASE OF OF ROMANIA ROMANIA AND AND GREECE
GREECE
Professor Professor Dr. Dr. IOANNIS IOANNIS IOANNIS ANTONOPOULOS
ANTONOPOULOS
Associate Associate Associate Associate Associate Member Member Member Member Member of of of of of the the the the the Hellenic Hellenic Hellenic Hellenic Hellenic Commission
Commission
Commission
Commission
Commission
on on on on on Military Military Military Military Military History History History History History
In the beginning of the 20 th century the
historical circumstances in the Balkan region were
under the influence and the antagonism of the
Great European imperialist Powers, which
competed to advance their political and economic
hegemony at the global level.
The special interest of the European policy for
the Balkans was further emphasized by their
strategic position that unites West and East. Among
the European powers, Germany and France were
particularly interested in the Balkan region.
Both considered the region as the means for
their geopolitical expansion, while the chronically
weak economies of the Balkan states offered
significant prospects for their economic and
commercial expansion.
From the Balkan states of that era, we shall
focus our interest on two countries occupying the
two ends of the peninsula, Romania and Greece.
We shall study particularly their importance at the
international relations level mainly in matters
concerning the influence and the antagonism of
France and Germany over these two countries in
the area of the military armaments.
After Bismarck’s downfall in 1890, Germany
remained the centre of gravity of the European
politics. Germany was indisputably the leading
continental European power until 1914. Its
dominant role was recognized by all its neighbouring
countries and the rest of the European
world. That predominant role came from Germany’s
demographic importance and the economic
potential based on a powerful heavy industry and
the innovative commercial methods that made the
German Empire the great competitor of the most
powerful country of that time, that is Great Britain. 1
In the same twenty-year period, France
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declined from the second to the fourth place among
the European Powers. Having low birth rates and
an industry that suffered from the shortage of raw
materials and coal in particular, France could not
industrially surpass Germany in the early 20 th
century. 2
In the early 19 th century France was the most
powerful European state. However, a century later
France was no longer the wealthiest state in the
continent and its economy was the least developed
of the economies of the rest of the Great western
powers. 3
However, throughout the 19 th century France
contributed to the economic and cultural development
of Europe by means of its cultural, social
and administrative influence, the spread of its
technology and certainly – and that is particularly
important - the export of capital. 4
On the other hand, in the end of the 19 th century
the socio-economic situation in the Balkan states
remained that of a solidly agricultural and small
factory region despite the important changes that
had taken place throughout the century, especially
in the second half. Except for the limited and belated
development of some fundamental infrastructure,
like the introduction of the rail network and of the
public service in the larger cities, the industrial
production with the exception of the mining of
certain metals was absent from the economies of
the Balkan states during that period.
In what has to do with industrial production
including the products, the know-how as well as the
capital and the investments, those came primarily
from abroad. We should not though miss the fact
that the larger part of the foreign funds that were
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