Part 9/11:
A Russian resurgence could have shifted attentions away from Germany, complicating international relations further and potentially setting the stage for future conflicts that would emerge from lingering resentments within the Balkan states, which were increasingly susceptible to disruption and strife due to the rise of nationalistic sentiments.
The Rising Tide of Conflict
However, the groundwork laid by the new regional powers did not eliminate past animosities but rather redefined them. Bulgaria’s resentments toward Serbian domination and Hungary’s anxieties over Serbian nationalism formed a volatile landscape ripe for conflict. By the 1930s, such tensions could have sparked a regional conflict reminiscent of the earlier crises, manifesting possibly into a second European-wide war.