200 The Balkan Wars in Retrospect
After the conclusion of what is rightfully called the "first national catastrophe" it's worth looking back at the scale, scope, and...
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Eric D. Halsey
Dec 30, 20233 min read
199 The First National Catastrophe
The die is cast as Bulgaria embarks on a surprise attack against Serbia and Greece to gain the territories it feels it has earned. Major...
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Eric D. Halsey
Dec 28, 20232 min read
198 One Against All
With the end of the First Balkan War, Bulgaria faces a difficult choice. Its army is on the brink of revolt, its neighbors are...
375 views0 comments
Eric D. Halsey
Nov 30, 20232 min read
197 The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?
Just as Bulgaria achieves what one author terms its first diplomatic success of the war, the country is losing another kind of war. Major...
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Eric D. Halsey
Nov 27, 20232 min read
196 The Fortresses Fall
As the First Balkan War enters its final stages, the final 3 Ottoman fortresses are each forced to surrender. But even before the guns...
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Eric D. Halsey
Oct 31, 20231 min read
195 The War Resumes
Mere hours after peace is agreed to, a coup tears up the treaty and brings the war back into an active phase. As a result, Bulgaria faces...
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Eric D. Halsey
Oct 24, 20232 min read
194 The Chataldzha Armistice
With the failure of Bulgaria's assault on the Chataldzha line, the pace of the war has declined and the Tsar accepted that an armistice...
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Eric D. Halsey
Sep 30, 20231 min read
193 A Wave Against the Rocks
As the Greeks and Serbs complete the defeat of most Ottoman forces in the rest of the Balkans, the Bulgarians finally begin the attack on...
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Eric D. Halsey
Aug 30, 20231 min read
191 Lost Victories
As the Bulgarians, Serbs, and Greeks each win huge victories on the battlefield, can they capitalize on their success or will they be...
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Eric D. Halsey
Aug 29, 20231 min read
190 The Early Stages of The First Balkan War
The war, decades in the making, to expel the Ottoman Empire from Europe has begun. In this episode, we look at the armies and societies...
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Eric D. Halsey
Jul 30, 20231 min read
189 Looking Back on The Calm Before the Storm, Part 2
This episode covers the second half of season 8, roughly from late 1904 until the beginning of the First Balkan War in 1912. In that...
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Eric D. Halsey
Jul 19, 20231 min read
188 Looking Back on The Calm Before the Storm, Part 1
This episode covers the first half of Season 8, roughly from 1895 to 1904. In that time, Ferdinand took firm control of Bulgarian...
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Eric D. Halsey
Jun 30, 20232 min read
187 The Balkan League
As the Ottomans face war with Italy, another Albanian uprising, the resurgence of violence in Macedonia, and a coup, pressure mounts on...
175 views0 comments
Eric D. Halsey
Jun 26, 20233 min read
186 Return to Resistance
Interethnic violence rocks a Bulgarian city, former members of the MRO decide they've had enough with the Young Turks and reform the...
108 views0 comments
Eric D. Halsey
May 28, 20232 min read
185 Back to Reality
In the aftermath of Bulgaria's declaration of independence, the new state works to establish its place on the European stage. Meanwhile a...
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Eric D. Halsey
May 26, 20232 min read
184 The Death of a Principality and Birth of a Kingdom
In the aftermath of the Young Turk Revolution, everyone from the Great Powers to the former right and left-wing factions of the MRO have...
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Eric D. Halsey
Apr 9, 20231 min read
183 Stamboliiski and the Young Turks
One MRO faction sentences the other to death while the other embraces a revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile the first elections...
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Eric D. Halsey
Apr 8, 20232 min read
182 Snowballs, Bullets, and Wedding Bells
An assassins bullet rocks Bulgarian politics, Ferdinand and his government attempt to further crack down on political organization, and...
103 views0 comments
Eric D. Halsey
Mar 29, 20232 min read
181 The Final Rupture
A newspaper scandal brings down Prime Minister Petrov, allowing the actual leader of the governing party to finally take charge....
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Eric D. Halsey
Mar 27, 20232 min read
180 Massacres on Land and at Sea
As the Russo-Japanese War reaches its climax, its conclusion has dramatic implications for Bulgaria and the Balkans. It also triggers a...
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