‘The idealistic liberal- democratic sentiment of nationalism became a narrow creed with limited ends.’ Support the statement in the context of Balkan nationalism in the early 19^th century.

The spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans together with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.

1. The Balkan states were fiercely jealous of each other and each of these hoped to gain more and more territory at the expense of the others. Matter was further complicated because the Balkans also became the scene of big power rivalry.

2. During this period, there was intense rivalry among the European powers over trade and colonies as well as naval and military might. As the problems in the Balkan region unfolded, it became an area of intense conflict.

3. Each power – Russia, Germany, England, Austro-Hungary – was keen on countering the hold of other powers over the Balkans, and extending its own control over the area. This resulted in a series of wars in the entire region, eventually leading to the First World War.

NOTE – The Balkans was a region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern-day – Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, and Montenegro, who inhabitants were broadly known as ‘Slavs.’

A large part of the Balkans was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. However, the spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism and disintegration of Ottoman Empire turned the situation upside down. Gradually, each European subject nationality broke away from its control and declared independence. The Balkan peoples eventually based their claims for independence on nationality and used history to prove that they had once been independent but had subsequently been subjugated by foreign powers.