Serbia in the Late 19th Century

• Serbia became a self-governing principality from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 and an independent nation-state in 1878
• The newly independent Serbia was subject to external pressures from Austria, Russia, Western liberal ideas, and its own intense nationalism
• The kingdom's early years consisted of intrigue, instability, political rivalry and a failed war with Bulgaria

Alignment with Austria

• King Milan Obrenovic was pro-Austrian and aligned Serbia with Vienna
• Austria became Serbia's largest purchaser of agricultural exports, including livestock, wheat, and fruit
• Austrian-owned railways crisscrossed Serbian territory, and Austrian banks lent to Serbian businesses greatly
• By the 1880s, Serbia became economically dependent on Austria, with the king viewed as a puppet ruler controlled by Vienna
• This situation displeased Serbian intellectuals, who sympathized with Russia and feared Austrian expansionism

New Dynasty, New Goals

• After the assassination of King Alexander, a new dynasty came to power
• King Peter, educated in Paris and a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War, modernized the nation
• King Peter transformed Serbia into a constitutional, democratic state with a modern economy
• After gaining power, Peter enacted a Western-style constitution in 1903
• He also passed a political amnesty, relaxed laws, and abolished press censorship
• This liberalization proved popular among native Serbians and other Slavic peoples in the Balkans
• Slavs viewed Serbia as a safe harbour for Slavic identity and culture
• The Greater Serbia movement called for reclaiming Serbian territory from the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires
• Pan-Slavism called for the liberation of Slavs under Austrian rule
• Some believed Serbia should form into Yugoslavia, a single nation for all Slavic peoples of southern Europe
• King Peter realigned Serbia away from Austrian influence, brokering good relations and trade deals with France, Russia, and Bulgaria
• Serbia began to trade freely after two decades as an Austro-Hungarian satellite
• In 1906 Austria initiated trade sanctions, banning future purchases of Serbian pork (one of its main exports)
• The "Pig War" lasted three years and was a victory for Serbia whose economy diversified and grew as a result
• Tensions increased due to the Bosnian crisis (1908-9) and Balkan Wars (1912-13)
• Serbia's military victories caused the balance of power to shift
• Serbia gained territory and people, doubling in size and growing by 1.6 million people
• This made Serbia one of the largest states in southern Europe and militarily powerful in the Balkans
• Expansionist Austrians viewed Serbia as troublemakers that could destabilize its fragile empire
• Military planners in Vienna spoke of crushing Serbia, seeking a pretext for war
• Many in Serbia believed their nation and Slavic people were threatened by an expansionist power
• Pan-Slavic nationalist groups formed with two aims: to protect the rights of Slavic people and to drive Austria-Hungary out of the Balkans

Serbia became independent from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century but faced external pressures and internal political rivalries. King Milan Obrenovic aligned Serbia with Austria, leading to economic dependence and discontent among Serbian intellectuals. This situation set the stage for new dynastic goals and shifts in Serbian foreign policy.