aria. Ferdinand, King of Bulgaria,
however, is a German by birth and training.

Greece, like Rumania, is also racially isolated. She fears Russia for
the same reason that Bulgaria does; Greece is determined that
Constantinople shall one day be hers. And she fears Austria because
Austria's pathway would even take Saloniki from her. And finally she
fears Italy because Italy has ambitions in Asia Minor and Albania. All
the belligerents seem to be treading on the toes of Greece.

It will be seen, therefore, that the diplomatic game was an especially
delicate one in the Balkans. Being comparatively weak, these small
states cannot fight alone for themselves. Their selfish ambitions, or
of their governing cliques rather, make a combination impossible.
Their only chance is to bargain with the winner at the right moment.

During the first half year of the war there was very little for the
Balkan diplomats to do but lie low and watch; watch for the first
signs of weakening of either the Allies or the Teutons. To be sure,
Turkey threw in her lot with the Teutons during this period, but
German control of the Turkish machinery of government and the army
appears to have been so strong that it seems doubtful whether Turkish
initiative was much of a factor in the move.

One of the first moves by the Teutonic Powers through Austria-Hungary
was the attempted invasion of Serbia, by which they hoped to eliminate
her from the field and also to swing the other Balkan States,
especially Bulgaria, over to their side. And had Austria succeeded in
penetrating the peninsula through Serbia, there can hardly be any
doubt that the effect would have been immediate.

But the invasion by Austria, attempted three times, was an abject
failure. At the end of five months a whole Austrian army corps had
been annihilated by the Serbians and the rest of the huge invading
armies had been driven back across the Danube and Save. Following
close upon this came the extraordinary success of the Russians in
Bukowina and in the Carpathians, which placed Hungary in immediate
danger of being invaded. The cause of the Allies began to look
promising and the machinery of Balkan diplomacy began slowly to
revolve.

Meanwhile the principal efforts of the Entente statesmen had been
directed toward effecting a reconciliation between Bulgaria and the
other Balkan States which, she maintained, had robbed her of
Macedonia. Indeed, it may well be said that the Treaty of Buc