In January 1914, the Serbian Crown Prince, Alexander, and the Prime Minister, Nicola Pashich,

visited St. Petersburg to discuss Serbia's relationship with Russia.

Serbia was now Russia's only ally in the Balkans.

The Prime Minister emphasized to the Russians that after two exhausting

Balkan wars, Serbia needed money to rebuild. It was now the most powerful state in the region,

but there were rumors that Austria and Germany were re-arming Bulgaria. The Serbians asked for

Russian arms. The Russians renewed their pledges to support Serbia,

although they regretfully explained that Russia's own military buildup meant they had no weapons

to spare right now, but Russia could also ask its ally France to help out. When the Serbians left,

the emperor told them, greet the king for me and tell him, for Serbia we shall do everything. Welcome to the history of the 20th century. Episode 75 Episode 73

For Serbia We Shall Do Everything

Back in episode 71, we looked at the second Balkan War, which ended with the Ottoman

Empire all but evicted from Europe,

and a new Albanian nation.

Also, an expanded Montenegro, an expanded Greece, and especially an expanded Serbia,

and a bitter and solvent Bulgaria, which had also fought in the two wars,

but unlike its neighbors, had little to show for it.

Remember, too, that in Austria, the Crown Prince, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was in 1913 named Inspector

General of the Austrian military, effectively the Supreme Commander.

This was a position normally held by the emperor,

but the Austro-Hungarian emperor is now 83 years old and is getting pretty doofy,

so he handed over supervision of the imperial military to the crown prince,

...