THE new era, which opened for Serbia in 1903, brought
a new dynasty and a national policy, and seemed to
assure her a future. It is true there was the enmity of
Austria-Hungary, but that danger, it could be argued,
was balanced by the friendship of Russia. Those who
reasoned thus forgot Macedonia. Serbia could no more
avoid the Macedonian whirlpool in the twentieth century
than she could in the thirteenth. The situation was
not indeed dissimilar. The weakness of the Byzantine
Empire in the thirteenth century forced Serbia to contest
Macedonia with Bulgaria, for otherwise the latter would
have become overwhelmingly strong. Similarly, the
weakness of the Turkish Empire after 1878 and the
power of the newly created Bulgaria turned Serbian
aspirations towards Macedonia. At first danger was
averted because Austria-Hungary protected Serbia, and
Russia Bulgaria. Neither side could go to extremes, and
after Slivnitza Austria-Hungary protected Serbia against
Bulgaria. There was thus a balance of power in the
Balkans which kept the peace in Macedonia. This
balance was upset in 1903, when the Karageorgevitch
dynasty abandoned Austria-Hungary for Russia. Hence-
forth new developments in the Balkans were inevitable,
and the struggle was fought out in Macedonia, where con-
flicting nationalities met.

Nationality is a recent but intense growth in the
Balkans. Half a century ago? Bulgars, Greeks, and Serbs

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