Biographical information
Nikola Pašić (18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian politician and diplomat who was the most important Serbian political figure for almost 40 years. He became a radical socialist in exile in Switzerland and became the leader of the Radical Party in 1878, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia (1891–92, 1904–05, 1906–08, 1909–11, 1912–18). History The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Bosnian-Serb nationalists in June 1914 had been the trigger that had led to World War I. Serbia had gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire at the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 which ended Russia’s successful war against the Ottomans. This war also saw the Habsburgs gain Bosnia which it annexed in 1908. |
The Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 had resulted in a significant expansion of Serbian territory and this had been seen as a direct threat by the Austro-Hungarian Empire because many Slavic peoples in the Habsburg Empire, notably the Bosnians, wished to be a part of greater Slavic state. This threat, the alliance system and unqualified German support led the emboldened Habsburgs to send an ultimatum to Serbia on the 23 July 1914 which ultimately justified the declaration of war on the 28th July.
Experience of World War I
Although definitive figures are hard to come by, there seems little doubt that of all the participants of World War I, in relative terms Serbia suffered the most. Serb sources claimed losses of 29% of the whole population and even the most conservative estimates by western historians have a death toll of 250,000 people out of only 4.5 million. Serbia gained a reputation for overcoming the odds against a combined force of Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria and Germany in 1914. Even when defeated and occupied from 1915 an army remained intact in neighbouring countries with a front supported with French troops. Those who remained in Serbia fought a campaign of resistance against the occupying forces. In the late summer of 1918, an Entente army led by the French and supported by Serbs, British and Greeks broke through the defensive lines, defeated Bulgaria (29th September) and liberated Serbia two weeks before the end of the war.
www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/euro-hist/other-fronts-ww1/v/serbian-and-macedonian-fronts
Ambitions
Yugoslavia was de facto created in December 1918 just weeks before the Paris peace conference. The overarching aim of Serbia therefore is to be formally recognised and to include as many former Habsburg territories within the borders of the new state. A south Slavic state will in particular look into include Bosnians, Slovenes and Croats within the new frontiers.
Potential rivals and allies
The main rival is Italy. Italy was secretly promised significant southern territories of the Habsburg Empire in return for joining the Entente powers at the Treaty of London 1915. Habsburg lands inhabited by Slavic people in the Adriatic are sought by both Serbia and Italy. There is a lot of sympathy for Serbia for the disproportionate extent of her losses, the French in particular have been very close allies. President Wilson has already publicly supported the Serbian ambitions in points X-XII of his Fourteen Points speech.