Lecture Notes: Shan McMein - World War I and the Balkans

Introduction

• Host: Crosby
• Speaker: Shan McMein, historian
• Location: Kansas City
• Venue: World War I Museum

Importance of Museums

• Museums: Vital for understanding history
• Vienna War Museum: Inspiration for McMein as a budding historian
  • Artifacts: Car of Franz Ferdinand, his blood-stained uniform, Browning pistol
  • Note: Sarajevo Museum's claim about the murder weapon contested by Vienna authorities

Influential Literature

• Barbara Tuckman, The Guns of August
  • Engaging narrative but omitted Austria-Hungary and Serbia
  • Context: 1960s, High Cold War, Eurocentric perspective
  • Modern historiography: Has evolved beyond Tuckman's narrative

Shifting Historiographical Perspectives

• Key Events Influencing Modern Views
  • 1990s Yugoslav Wars: Resurfacing of Balkan issues in headlines
  • 9/11: Highlighted the impact of single acts of terrorism
• Changing Stereotypes
  • Historical Blame: Germany as primary aggressor
  • Versailles Treaty: Germany assigned war guilt, reparations paid until 2010
  • Different regional memories: Europe vs. Near East

Prelude to Conflict

• Background: Italy-Turkey War (1911), Balkan Wars (1912-1913)
• Key Locations: Libya, Dodecanese islands seized by Italy
• Ottoman Naval Weakness: Efforts to build up navy post-defeats

Immediate Pre-WWI Tensions

• New Naval Race: Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea
• Strategic Mistakes: Weakness through geography and resources
• Anticipated Third Balkan War: Greco-Turkish tensions, refugee crises
  • Russian Involvement: Potential landings and intervention
  • Deterrence: Effective naval strategy could mean control over straits

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

• Date: June 28, 1914
• Serbian Nationalist Context: St. Vitus Day, cult of assassination
• Failed Assassination Attempts: Multiple attempts on Franz Ferdinand before successful one by Gavrilo Princip

Consequences

• Austria-Hungary Response: Ultimatum to Serbia
• European Reactions: Escalation due to alliances and military plans
• German Blunders: Diplomatic failures, miscommunications

National Interests & Diplomacy

• Russia's Mobilization: Early mobilization, eventual general mobilization
  • Kaiser's Telegrams: Misinformed responses causing delays
• France and Russia Coordination: Pressure on Britain for clarity
• Alternative Histories: Possibilities of resolving diplomatically

World War I Outbreak

• Austrian Incompetence: Premature declarations of war
• Resulting Conflict: Series of misunderstandings and secret deals

Q&A

1. Influence of Black Hand: Dragutin Dimitrijević (Apis) possibly behind plot, ties to Russian officials
2. Russo-Japanese War: Impact on Russian military reform and prestige
3. Armenian Genocide: Tensions in Eastern Turkey, pre-WWI crisis
4. Diplomatic Correspondence: Gaps in record, plausibility of deniability
5. Nature of 1914 Pre-War World: Assumptions of differing outcomes without assassination

Conclusion

• Signing Session: Book signing and further discussions