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an eventual annexation by her of Bosnia-Herzegovina(September 1908). In actual fact Austria-Hungaryproclaimed annexation at once, while Izvolsky securedno agreement on the Straits with any of the powers orthe Young Turk government. He was arraigned at homefor having abandoned the Slav cause in return for nothingat all, and he aggravated the most dangerous Bosniancrisis that ended next year in the humiliation of Russiaand Serbia by Germany and Austria-Hungary (cf. p. 417).Izvolsky's failure did not mark the end of the effortsof Russian diplomacy to achieve a new Straits settlement.The Italo-Turkish war of 1911 gave a further opportunitywhich was taken advantage of by one section of theRussian foreign office to return to a Turcophil policyand negotiate with the Turks for an agreement allowingRussian passage of the Straits. The negotiations cameto nothing, largely because of the strong opposition ofthe Russian panslavs, who were backing the oppositepolicy of a Balkan league under the aegis of Russia.The league brought the Balkan wars (1912-13) anda further disruption of European Turkey. Russianrelations with Turkey went from bad to worse in 1913-14owing to the crisis caused by the mission of the GermanGeneral Liman von Sanders to take command virtuallyof the Turkish army, and owing to Turkish fears ofRussian reform projects for the Armenians and Russianfears of pan-turanian and pan-islamic propaganda.By the beginning of 1914 the problem of the Straitswas regarded by the Russian government as soluble onlyin case of a European war, which now seemed lowering.As in 1886-87, the way to Constantinople was thought tolie through Berlin. At the same time it was admittedin secret councils in St Petersburg that Russia would,until 1916, be inferior at sea to Turkey and would beunable to make any combined descent upon theBosphorus. The army chiefs held that Russia's westernfront was all in all and would determine the issue of theStraits, if war there had to be.European war came in August 1914; and therewiththe Goeben and the Breslau to Constantinople. TheYoung Turk government clinched its compact with286