Prelude
January I, 1910
[size=10pt]The European balance of power has been disrupted once again and conflicts are arising all over the continent.
In the south-east, the Balkans, a region troubled by countless conflicts in history, have been joined by another independent state, the Tsardom of Bulgaria, which has finally managed to free itself from Ottoman control, whose empire, 'the sick man of Europe', continues its decline as it desperately attempts to cling on to its remaining territories in Europe whilst suffering the effects of discontent minorities and consequences of numerous coups and counter-coups over the last few years.
The Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia in 1908 has created a dangerous aversion between the Austrians and the Russian Empire and her Slavic brethren in Serbia, who have developed a special kind of contempt for their Austrian neighbours. Russia avoided confrontation during the initial annexation, another humiliation after the devastating defeat to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese war, and is determined not to back down again.
This development doubtlessly comes to the great alarm of the German Empire, which has problems of its own. The Moroccan crisis has further strained already deleterious relations with revanchist France and the UK, who are further alienated by the naval arms race and the policy of 'a place in the sun' pursued by the German government.
This decay of relations with a historic ally has pushed the UK into the arms of France, with whom they have signed an 'Entente Cordiale', a collection of settlements and agreements devised to set aside differences in matters of colonisation and influence. France, on the other hand, had already found an ally in Russia, providing a counter-weight to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy.
Imperial ambitions of Italy have put the country at odds not only with Britain, France and Russia, but also her ally Austria, with whom the kingdom has long been at odds over interests in the Balkans and historically Italian lands held by Austria. While agreements on Balkan issues were able to alleviate these concerns to an extent, distrust between these two allies persists.
Despite clouds of war gathering over the horizon, the world does not seem to even remotely consider the possibility of armed conflict. The world has never been more connected and intertwined; ease of travel and an unprecedented level of access to information has begun to create a global network of nations dependent on each other.
Yet, conflicting interests, desire for power and boiling nationalism make war seem more and more likely to the objective observant. With webs of alliances poised to strike one another, any small conflict can easily transform into a war of unprecedented scale. Will the family ties of the European royalty be strong enough to prevent disaster? Or will Europe descend into hell on earth? All it needs is a spark...
January I, 1910
[size=10pt]The European balance of power has been disrupted once again and conflicts are arising all over the continent.
In the south-east, the Balkans, a region troubled by countless conflicts in history, have been joined by another independent state, the Tsardom of Bulgaria, which has finally managed to free itself from Ottoman control, whose empire, 'the sick man of Europe', continues its decline as it desperately attempts to cling on to its remaining territories in Europe whilst suffering the effects of discontent minorities and consequences of numerous coups and counter-coups over the last few years.
The Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia in 1908 has created a dangerous aversion between the Austrians and the Russian Empire and her Slavic brethren in Serbia, who have developed a special kind of contempt for their Austrian neighbours. Russia avoided confrontation during the initial annexation, another humiliation after the devastating defeat to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese war, and is determined not to back down again.
This development doubtlessly comes to the great alarm of the German Empire, which has problems of its own. The Moroccan crisis has further strained already deleterious relations with revanchist France and the UK, who are further alienated by the naval arms race and the policy of 'a place in the sun' pursued by the German government.
This decay of relations with a historic ally has pushed the UK into the arms of France, with whom they have signed an 'Entente Cordiale', a collection of settlements and agreements devised to set aside differences in matters of colonisation and influence. France, on the other hand, had already found an ally in Russia, providing a counter-weight to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy.
Imperial ambitions of Italy have put the country at odds not only with Britain, France and Russia, but also her ally Austria, with whom the kingdom has long been at odds over interests in the Balkans and historically Italian lands held by Austria. While agreements on Balkan issues were able to alleviate these concerns to an extent, distrust between these two allies persists.
Despite clouds of war gathering over the horizon, the world does not seem to even remotely consider the possibility of armed conflict. The world has never been more connected and intertwined; ease of travel and an unprecedented level of access to information has begun to create a global network of nations dependent on each other.
Yet, conflicting interests, desire for power and boiling nationalism make war seem more and more likely to the objective observant. With webs of alliances poised to strike one another, any small conflict can easily transform into a war of unprecedented scale. Will the family ties of the European royalty be strong enough to prevent disaster? Or will Europe descend into hell on earth? All it needs is a spark...
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