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Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolsky Of Russia Essay

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In 1908, the leaders of Russia and Austria-Hungary arranged to make an agreement that would help both nations achieve their international goals. Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolsky of Russia was looking to re-establish his country’s authority in Europe, which had been damaged after defeat by Japan in a previous war in the Far East (Trueman C. N., 2015). One goal for Baron Lexa von Aehrenthal, Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary, was to gain better control of his nation’s Balkan territory. After the revolt in Constantinople by a group called the Young Turks in which they took control of the city, Austria-Hungary feared that Bosnia-Herzegovina would be the next to revolt (Schmitt, 1970; Hamilton & Herwig, 2003). Aehrenthal was also looking to prove that his nation was more than just a “satellite of Germany” (Trueman C. N., 2015). To achieve the goals of both parties, Russia agreed to support Austria-Hungary in annexing Bosnia-Herzegovina and, in turn, Austria-Hungary was to support the Russian use of the Bosporus and Dardanelle Straits, which had previously been barred. The latter part of this agreement was significant in that it would give Russia the ability to mobilize its navy from the Black Sea and, as previously mentioned, gain access to the British dominated Mediterranean. However, this part of the agreement was never carried out. On October 6th 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, before Russia was able to make its case for the use of the Straits

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