d with
joy among the Russians, and the government at St. Petersburg lost no
time in rushing to the aid of the Balkan states and declaring war on
Turkey. After a short but stubbornly contested conflict, Russia and
the little countries were victors. A treaty of peace was signed at San
Stephano, by which Roumania, Serbia, and Bulgaria were to be
recognized by Turkey as independent states. The boundaries of Bulgaria
were to reach to the Aegean Sea, including most of Macedonia, thus
cutting off Turkey from her county of Albania, except by water. Bear
this in mind, for it will help you to understand Russia's later
feeling when Bulgaria in 1915 joined the ranks of her enemies.

[Map: Southeastern and Central Europe, 1706]

[Map: Losses of Turkey during the Nineteenth Century]

[Illustration: The Congress of Berlin. Prince Gortchakoff (seated).
Disraeli (with cane). Count Andrassy. Bismarck.]

The matter was all settled, and Turkey had accepted these terms, when
once more the diplomats of Europe began to meddle. It will be
remembered that Russia three years before had prevented a second war
against France planned by Bismarck. It was very easy for him to
persuade Austria and England that if Russia were allowed to cripple
Turkey and set up three new kingdoms which would be under her control,
she would speedily become the strongest nation in Europe. The "balance
of power" would be disturbed. England and Austria sided with Germany,
and a meeting of statesmen and diplomats was called at Berlin in 1878
to decide once more what should be the map of Europe. Representatives
were present from all the leading European countries. Even Turkey had
two men at the meeting, but the three men who really controlled were
Bismarck, Count Andrassy of Austria, and Lord Beaconsfield (Benjamin
Disraeli) of England. Russia was robbed of a great part of the fruits
of her victory. Bulgaria was left partially under the control of
Turkey, in that she had to pay Turkey a large sum of money each year
for the privilege of being left alone. Her territory was made much
smaller than had been agreed to by the treaty of San Stephano. In fact
less than one-third of the Bulgarians were living within the
boundaries finally agreed upon by the congress. A great part of the
Serbians were still left under Turkish rule, as were the Greeks of
Thessaly and Epirus. The two counties of Bosnia and Herzegovina were
still to belong to Turkey, but as the Turks did not seem to