BRITANSKA POLITIKA I STVARANJE ALBANIJE 1912–1914
British Policy and Creation of Albania 1912–1914

Summary/Abstract: With the outbreak of the Balkan wars in 1912, a massive European crisis had emerged. One of the most crucial problems was the question regarding the formation of borders and, in general, the creation of Albanian state. Although British politics didn't have a direct interest in this question its involvement was determined by increasing hostility between Russia and Austro-Hungary on the Balkans, which threatened to lead Europe into a conflict of unforeseeable scale. Maintaining the unity of the powers and finding a solution to prevent thus clash were set as Britain’s primary goal. Towards this end, British Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Sir Edward Gray, with German support, organized the Conference of Ambassadors in London. This body was designed to quickly and efficiently find the solution to this problem. The Conference commenced on the 17th of December, 1912, in London. The negotiations were difficult and often come to a dead end. This issue of setting the Northern and Southern borders along with the organization of Albanian state institutions challenged British diplomacy and pushed Europe to the brink of war. The crisis brought about a significant bonding of Germany and Britain with the borders of Albania set according to the interest of the Central powers. Although the conference managed to postpone the outbreak of the war between the powers, British politics failed insofar as the unity of the powers wasn’t preserved. Deeply divided, they would come to face a new Balkan crisis. Although strongly opposed to it, Britain became involved in a war whose trigger came from the Balkans. At the conference, an Albanian state was formed, but this did not resolve the „Albanian question” that would appear before the world’s powers time and time again.

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