On 30 March a new series of programmes began on Radio 4, and is available on BBC Sounds. Part of the long-running The Invention of… set of programmes by Misha Glenny and Miles Warde, and made on location, this new series looks at the history of the Balkans. The first episode deals with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. While this was not the cause of the Great War, it provided Austria-Hungary with the opportunity to suppress the rise of its southern neighbour and triggered the presentation of its 10-point ultimatum to Serbia.
The second episode (on Monday 6 April at 11.00) considers the Balkan Wars that preceded the events of 1914, including the Austro-Serbian Pig War. If you are not familiar with this interesting slice of culinary history, it was a customs war that took place between 1906 and 1908. It was an unsuccessful attempt to impose a customs blockade on Serbian Pork. It failed because Serbia was able to find other markets in Europe. The series promises to be an interesting listen.
The first episode can be found here.
Post by Rob Elliott
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Salonika Campaign Society, 1915-1918 