Diplomacy

In the summer and autumn of 1887, Bismarck and Salisbury extended the Mediterranean Agreements to the Balkans.

In December, Britain, Italy, and Austria exchanged notes, signing the second Mediterranean Agreements and establishing an alliance to address Russia's Near Eastern issues.

This was Bismarck's adjustment to the alliance system, fostering a situation where Britain, Italy, Austria, France, and Russia mutually checked each other in the Near East, without enabling a Franco-Russian alliance, thereby securing Germany's position on the European continent.

From the late 1880s, the League of the Three Emperors gradually collapsed, yet Germany still maintained alliance relationships with Russia and Austria; this period marked the peak of Bismarck's "unsinkable ship" diplomacy.

In March 1890, after Bismarck's downfall, his successor altered foreign policy, and the alliance system headed towards its end.

A key aspect of Germany's new foreign policy was the non-renewal of the German-Russian Reinsurance Treaty.

After Germany tore up the German-Russian Reinsurance Treaty, Russia's diplomatic situation became increasingly dire. Forced to gravitate towards France, negotiations for an alliance began between the two countries in 1891, but due to mutual distrust, the Franco-Russian Alliance was not formally established until 1894.

Under the guidance of the "new course," in July 1890, the Anglo-German Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty resolved disputes over colonial issues between the two nations.

This was considered a significant concession by Germany at the time, aiming to draw Britain into the Triple Alliance.

From 1890 to 1894, Germany repeatedly urged Britain to expand its obligations under the Mediterranean Agreements, conducting demonstrative activities in the Mediterranean to showcase a "four-power coordinated stance" to the world.

Against this backdrop, Ferdinand sent Archbishop Clement to Russia, with the primary objectives of appeasing the pro-Russian faction and improving Russo-Bulgarian relations with minimal cost, thereby gaining a powerful ally.

Time was running out; in a few months, Bismarck would step down, and Germany would abrogate the German-Russian Reinsurance Treaty. For Russia to break its diplomatic deadlock, courting Bulgaria became a logical step.

In reality, the League of the Three Emperors had been fraught with contradictions since its inception, particularly the irreconcilable differences between Russia and Austria.

In 1885, an uprising occurred in Eastern Rumelia, where the populace expelled Ottoman Turkish officials and declared unification with the Principality of Bulgaria, with Prince Alexander being enthroned as the monarch of the unified state.

What was initially an act of Bulgarian national independence, under the intervention of European powers seeking control over Bulgaria, led to a two-year Bulgarian Crisis.

The Principality of Bulgaria was a key foothold established in the Balkans after the Russo-Turkish War of 1878. The unification of Bulgaria was agreed upon within the League of the Three Emperors in 1881, but due to shifts in Russo-Bulgarian relations, Russia could no longer control its puppet regime in Bulgaria.

Prince Alexander, a descendant of German minor nobility and nephew of the Russian Empress, became the ruler of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1879 with the Tsar's support.

After Prince Alexander took office, he gradually grew dissatisfied with the arrogance of Russian officials in Bulgaria, and despite numerous discussions, no resolution was reached. To escape Russian control, Prince Alexander's anti-Russian actions became increasingly apparent.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was allied with Russia, it did not wish to see Russia monopolize Bulgaria, and thus, with mutual consent, began to draw closer to Alexander.

After the breakdown of Russo-Bulgarian relations, Russia, seeing it could no longer control the Bulgarian government, began to obstruct Bulgaria's unification and threatened to withdraw officers and dismantle Bulgaria's military strength.

Simultaneously, it demanded that other major powers exert pressure on Bulgaria to force Prince Alexander to disband the Bulgarian army.

At the conference of the Great Powers, under German mediation, Austria-Hungary sided with Russia, but this was met with British resistance, and due to the wavering stances of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

A compromise was eventually reached: Prince Alexander would serve as Governor-General of Eastern Rumelia, and Bulgaria would achieve de facto unification, while Turkey would retain nominal sovereignty.

This was not the end; Bulgaria's unification sparked covetousness from smaller nations like Greece and Serbia, who hoped for territorial compensation.

King Milan of Serbia visited Vienna in September, seeking Austro-Hungarian support for territorial gains. After realizing he could not secure support at the Great Powers' conference.

In November, Serbia invaded Bulgaria, but the outcome was unexpected: the Serbian army, holding a decisive advantage, was soundly defeated by Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian forces seized several key Serbian towns, advancing towards its capital.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire intervened in the Serbo-Bulgarian War to protect its interests in the Balkans, forcing Bulgaria to withdraw its troops while excluding Russia. Concurrently, Serbia's defeat led to the rise of a pro-Russian faction, sowing the seeds for Russo-Austrian conflict.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Russia orchestrated a coup to overthrow Prince Alexander's rule. However, due to subsequent British and Austrian intervention, the situation spiraled beyond Russia's control, and Ferdinand was enthroned as the new Prince, leading to a deterioration in Russo-Austrian relations.

Russo-German relations were also not as smooth as expected, with conflicts erupting over trade issues. Cheap Russian agricultural products entering the German market impacted the interests of the Junkers, who, through their influence, imposed heavy tariffs on Russian agricultural imports; Russia retaliated by imposing heavy tariffs on German industrial products, leading to a trade dispute between Germany and Russia.

In November 1887, Germany prohibited domestic banks from holding Russian securities, effectively closing the German capital market to Russia and prompting Russia to turn its attention to France, signaling the beginning of the end for the Russo-German alliance.

At the end of November 1889, a Bulgarian diplomatic delegation arrived in Saint Petersburg. The following month, Archbishop Clement was received by Alexander III, and the four-year Russo-Bulgarian diplomatic stalemate began to show signs of thawing.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand, well aware of the Great Powers' machinations, acknowledged secret agreements signed with Britain and Austria-Hungary during the Stam Government.

Britain and Austria-Hungary secured preferential trade rights with Bulgaria, requiring only minimal tariffs. Considering the industrial disparity between them, this was highly unfair to Bulgaria.

Furthermore, with the tariffs mortgaged, the influence of Britain and Austria-Hungary began a new round of infiltration into Bulgaria. After paying a heavy price, Ferdinand's government secured the support of Britain and Austria-Hungary, and relations between them further developed.

In the long term, Britain and Austria-Hungary, leveraging their industrial advantages, dominated trade with Bulgaria, hindering the development of the Bulgarian national bourgeoisie.

Fortunately, Ferdinand had intended from the outset to develop state capitalism, competing with the Great Powers through policy inclinations and resource coordination. He did not intend to rely on the bourgeoisie for national strength, otherwise, Bulgaria's development would have been exceedingly difficult.

I need to prepare for an exam in the next few days, so my update schedule will be unstable. It will return to normal after the 15th. I don't expect to miss any updates, and if there are any special circumstances, I will make them up later!!