The main outcome of a potential war between the Turks and the Balkan people was the possibility of war between Austria and Russia. Russia needed an ice-free port, as well as needing to protect ‘its people’, whereas Austria’s aim in the Balkans was to protect its own Empire from the Nationalist epidemic. In turn, this caused a problem for Germany, who would no doubt have to pick between one of its allies. The other was then very likely to ally with France, making France more confident and probably more willing to seek revenge against Germany, resulting in a war which could involve the whole of Europe.
However, Russia and Austria proved to be more cooperative than once thought. Russia knew that a collapse in the Ottoman Empire meant all the European powers getting involved and Austria knew that Germany were not very likely to help them should they go to war with Russia. Therefore the two rivals agreed to partition the Balkans if Turkey were defeated. This was a considerable relief for Germany, as they would now not have the problem of choosing an ally and therefore risking war with France. This also meant that the probability of a European war was lessened, as Austria and Russia had shown that they could cooperate. However, Germany knew that this cooperation was not to last, and so tried to involve Britain, who were willing to intervene, but not alone.
Between 1875-7 no solution was found, though many proposals were put forward by Austria and Russia. Russia, dealing with its own domestic problems, was becoming increasingly fed up with the situation, though under constant pressure to help the Slavs. So, in the spring of 1877, Austria agreed to stay out if Russia attacked Turkey, which they did in April 1877. This shocked all the European powers, especially as Turkey was defeated and made to accept the outrages demands of the Treaty of San Stefano and this alone brought the threat of conflict closer. Austria felt cheated, and Britain threatened: preparing to mobilise troops in India.
Once again, with the aim of maintaining peace in Europe, Bismarck decided to step in, calling the Congress of Berlin. Though nobody, even Germany, got what they wanted from this treaty, there was really no alternative. The other European powers would have had to accept Russian dominance in the Balkans, whereas Russia would have had to risk going to war with Britain and Austria. However, this Treaty did not solve the underlying issues of Balkan independence and nationalistic tension and the conflicting interests in this area. Therefore, although the treaty appeared to clear everything up, it also created bigger tensions. For example, the simple act of giving Macedonia back to Turkey was a bad idea, as the Macedonians themselves did not agree with it.
On a grander scale, though it did not seem viable for the Balkan people to rule themselves, some of the decisions made were not very well informed. The Austrian occupation of Bosnia annoyed more than one state in the Balkans, and consequently led to the annexation and military ruling of the country. Also, Russia’s arrogance towards the new Russian state of Big Bulgaria eventually led to another Balkan crisis in 1885. However, Bismarck was not to blame for these outcomes, as he was happy for the Balkans to be equally divided East and West between Russia and Austria, though this was clearly not possible.
In conclusion, though the Treaty of Berlin solved many of the immediate problems in Europe, it caused a lasting bitterness between the major powers, especially towards Germany. The resulting allies that Germany gained, such as with Italy and the renewed Dreikaiserbund, seemed promising, however did not help to solve the growing tensions in Europe, especially between Austria and Russia. The crisis itself, though showing that some rival countries could work together in times of crisis, actually worsened relations in Europe due to bad handling and procrastination. There seemed only to be temporary solutions to problems, which were quickly established but bound to fall through. In short this crisis was only the beginning of many more, eventually leading to the crisis that began the Great War.
