Abstract
The growing influence of Germany and the misgovernment of Turkey (leading to the Young Turks revolution in 1908, which ended the decline of the Turk Empire, making the Europeans fear a claim of Turkey on the Balkans) led Macedonia and by extent the Balkans to be plunged in conspiracy and violence. Combined to Russia reawakened interest in the Balkans, these changes were fatal to the statu quo of the Balkan. Nonetheless, Russia and Austria were still working together (policy of non-interventionism in Macedonia). Their cooperation was endangered when Aerenthal (foreign minister of Austria) decided that the statu quo of Balkans was not in the best interest of Austria.
Annexing Bosnia would seemingly stop the Slav agitation in the empire, and lower Serbia's prestige to which the Slavs of the Empire were looking for support by ending her hopes to acquire those lands. Isvolsky, the Russian foreign minister approached Aerenthal in July 1908 with a proposition to modify the statu quo: Austria was to annex Bosnia in return for promising to support the claims of Russia over the Straits. Austria annexed Bosnia on the 5th October 1908. It both shocked Serbia (the original aim) and Russia, which disowned Isvolsky's bargain fearing to lose its reputation amongst the Slavs. This lost prestige made Russia the principal opponent of Austria. Austria was backed up without reserve by Germany, using this crisis in which it had no direct interest to win a diplomatic victory. The damage of this crisis was the reopening of the conflict between Austria and Russia in the Balkans.
