The first very important issue was fighting for independence. Greece was the first nation in the Balkans, that started to fight for their rights. As the result of bad treatment of peasants and barbarous ways of dealing with Christians in 1821 the Greek revolt against Turkish rule broke out and in the 1830 Ottoman Empire agreed on Greece independence. Other nations also wanted to seek for independence and they stared to do it after the Crimean War, which proved weakness of Ottoman Empire. On 23 of December 1861 there was created Independent Romanian State under French protectorate, but it was under sultan’s supervision and it had to pay tribute. In 1866 they had a liberal constitution and in 1867 gained independence. Serbs became independent as well, they had also a will of creating one united Yugoslavian country consisting of Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, however Turks withdrawn they troops form Serbia and she didn’t want to create Yugoslavia any more. Montenegro also gained independence in 1867. After another Balkan crisis 1875-78 when Bosnia and Herzegovina and than in 1876 Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia started war against Turkey, Bulgaria became independent but divided into 3 regions of influence, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania became completely independent countries and they didn’t have to be worry about Turkey any more.
The second thing that brought Balkan crisis were important improvements. One of the most important reforms coming out of the Crimean War were led by Florence Nightingale, who not only changed the operation of military hospitals, but invented the nursing profession for women. There were others at the time who wanted to have better run military hospitals, not only on the Allied side but also on the Russian side as well. During the Crimean the ineptitude was made public by an inquiring press in the person of William Russell a London Times correspondent. Russell is often seen as the first modern war correspondent. Some of his cables reported even more outrageous problems, such as supply corps not delivering food to starving soldiers 6 miles away. These conditions and public exposure lead to important reforms in the army.
Some important changes in cultural life were also the result of the Balkan Crisis. The aftermath of war and rebellion appears to have enliven the previously rather static artistic life of Russia. It is in this period that the new school of critical realism is founded. The founder of critical realism is . There were a number of important fashion innovations resulting from the War. Some of these garments are still worn today. It is at this time that styles begin to appear in Europe. Many styles such as (ski mask), , and raglan sweaters coats later appeared.
The Balkan Crisis brought some significant changes also in British, French and Russian society. The Crimean war casualties accounted in Great Britain 22,000 and in France 90,000 people. In both countries there was Russophobia – people feared and hated Russia, they considered it as a potential threat. In Russia, war with the European powers brought great strains. Taxes were needed to finance the War. The huge casualties required forced levies. Both mean increased hardship for the already exploited Russian serfs. There were serf uprisings everywhere. Russia's disastrous performance in the Crimea War caused many Russians, including members of the aristocracy and urban intellectuals, to realize that Russia's only hope for military survival lay in modernization. This would have to include industrialization, improvements to communications and the need for a railway system.. Less than two weeks after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1856 which ended the Crimea War Alexander proclaimed a program of social reform. Almost immediately, Alexander: released the surviving Decembrists and other rebels from exile , removed many thousands from police supervision, lifted restrictions imposed on university students, ordered a revision of the censorship regulations, suspended recruitment for the army, cancelled outstanding taxes, showed more tolerance to Poland and the Catholic Church. The most notable reform was the emancipation of the serfs in 1861.
According to my essay, it is noticeable that the Balkan Crisis had impact on the society. It cause nationalistic upheavals and thanks to it many nations in Balkan peninsula gained independence. It also brought the need of improving medical war system and created the new profession of the war correspondent. It was also the cause of many reforms in Russia that made Russian life easier.
