a to make peace with the Central
powers, it was to them, and not to Bulgaria, that Rumania ceded the
Dobrudja prize. Of course Germany temporized, and extended the Dobrudja
"condominium" until the final peace settlement, but Bulgaria could see
with half an eye that her hopes in this quarter would never be realized.

[Sidenote: The dispute with Turkey about Thrace.]

A second shock was presently administered by Turkey. In return for
Bulgaria's extension of territory in the southern Dobrudja, Turkey
demanded compensation by Bulgaria's retrocession of the Demotika
district of Thrace. This district, it will be remembered, was vital to
Bulgaria's railway communications with her AEgean seaboard. Bulgaria
therefore angrily rejected the proposal, Turkey as vehemently insisted,
and by the beginning of 1918 a very pretty quarrel was on between the
two allies, culminating in at least one bloody mix-up between Turkish
and Bulgarian troops. In these circumstances Bulgaria appealed to
Germany, but was deeply chagrined to receive from the Wilhelmstrasse a
Delphic utterance which might have been interpreted as an indorsement of
Turkish claims. The reason for this was that Germany was then
overrunning the Ukraine preparatory to the occupation of Transcaucasia
and the penetration of the middle East. For such far-flung projects
zealous Turkish cooperation was a prime necessity. Accordingly, Turkey
had to be favored in every possible way. As for Bulgaria, she must not
embarrass Germany in her march to world dominion.

[Sidenote: Germany does not promise Saloniki.]

[Sidenote: Reservation regarding Macedonia.]

A third shock was in store. Ever since the spring of 1916 Bulgaria had
occupied the Drama-Serres-Kavala districts of Greek Macedonia. In 1916,
Greece was clinging to an ambiguous neutrality, but a year later the
Entente powers deposed King Constantine, and Greece ranged herself
squarely on the Allied side, with a declaration of war against Bulgaria
as one of the first consequences. Thereupon Bulgaria urged Germany to
allow her definitely to annex the occupied districts and to promise her
Saloniki when victory should crown the Teuton-Bulgar arms. But here
again Bulgaria discovered that Germany had other fish to fry. Ex-King
Constantine and the Greek royalists might yet be very useful to Berlin.
Therefore they must not be alienated by giving Bulgaria territories
which would render every Greek an irreconcilable foe to Mitteleuropa.