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his proposals. They were doomed to failure: the objectof England was to concert to prevent the collapse ofTurkey, that of Russia to concert what should followcollapse. Hence Palmerston, for one, drew the conclusionthat Nicholas was actively working for collapse.This was not strictly true of Nicholas (and not at allof Nesselrode), but it was true of many of the Russiandiplomats and agents in the Balkans. Their activitiesespecially alarmed Vienna, which for a hundred yearspast had always feared lest the Principalities and Serbiafall completely under Russian sway. When at lastFrancis Joseph came out into the open in his long correspondencewith Nicholas, it was to require (January 1854)the cessation of incitement of the Balkan Christians, nochanges to be made in the political situation in EuropeanTurkey, and the evacuation of the Principalities.The divergence between Russia and Austria becamea direct contest, the wounds of which were never healed.Buol, the foreign minister, strove to extend Austrianinterests against Russia by every possible means. Therewas no actual fighting and the Russians exaggerated thestrength of the war party in Austria; but it must not beforgotten that for them the Crimean War had fourfronts, the Crimea and southern littoral, the Caucasus,the Baltic, and the Austrian frontier: on this last a largeproportion of the Russian forces (until the final stagesof the war) were kept immobilized. Nor must it beforgotten that it was an Austrian ultimatum that broughtRussia to the peace conference of Paris (1856; see p. 282).Within the next half-century Russia and Austria werethree times again very near to war; the fourth time, in1914, both fell into the abyss. On each occasion thefuture of the Balkans was at stake.The Crimean War caused the breakdown of Nicholas'policy both at home and abroad. For the next twentyyears the major issues were internal. Russia ceased toplay a leading role in the affairs of Europe. She couldnot fail to be important, but the great events, Italian andGerman unity, took place with Russia in the background.Both remade the 1815 map of Europe, yet without aEuropean conference. Russians were unpleasantly struck415