The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

manship is offered to Great Britain. Russia is the recognised champion of the Slavs. She is fighting for Slav liberties. But nevertheless it seems that Russia hesitates when some opportunity presents itself for creating a really strong and independent Slay State. Fortunately Russia’s present attitude towards the Polish question gives the best hope that Poland is to be created again a united and quite independent nation. But Russia lacked either insight or sympathy when she fostered the separate existence of the Serbs and Bulgars, as two weak nations instead of making a single nation of them at a moment when it would have cost very little, and could have been done easily. A united SerboBulgaria would have exercised a salutary influence upon Austria-Hungary; would perhaps have changed her whole policy and made of her a federation of free nationalities, and thus nipped the German scheme of world conquest in the bud, and spared Europe the appalling hecatombs of our days. Again to-day Russia hesitates; she fought for the independence of Serbia and unity of the Southern Slavs, but she appears to be not quite willing to achieve their unity and independence at once, but only by degrees. Whether it be the lack of insight or the pursuit of a definite policy we cannot positively say, but she is acting so as to have Slav nations broken up in small communities, always half oppressed, and with some serious grievance against their neighbours. Q 225