Balkans issue

This feeling of nationalism became intense in the Balkan region after 1871. The Balkan region formerly comprised the present-day territories of Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro. The people in these countries were called Slavs. The disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the region made the situation very explosive in the region as every state was jealous of one another and hoped to gain independence at the cost of the other. One by one, its European subject nationalities broke away from the control of the Ottoman Empire and declared independence. As the different Slavic nationalities struggled to define their identity and independence, the Balkan area became an area of intense conflict.
During this time, many powerful European nations such as England, France, Russia and Germany competed to gain control in the Balkan region.
This competition for gaining prominence in the region finally led to the First World War in 1914.