successful outcome of World War I, the Serbs had great reason to fear the possibility of their
exclusion from valuable Balkan lands.
10
The settlement made would be on terms that the
allied powers determined, and the relationship that the Yugoslav Committee had established
in London made the Serb unilateral position weak. In addition to relations with the Yugoslav
Committee, the Serbs worried about the relationships allied powers were pursuing with Italy
and other Balkan powers. Secret treaties were signed in London that granted Italy and
Rumania significant territorial gains at the expense of Serbia’s territorial integrity, making the
Serb position increasingly fragile.
11
The combination of these three factors suggests some consistency with international
relations’ balancing theories. Serbia’s weakened power relations in respect to surrounding
states contribute to Waltz’s theory that states will move to balance power. In addition, his
theory is bolstered by the Serb fears of exclusion from allied power relations. In this case the
powers served as both those powerful enough to determine the outcome of territorial relations
and as a threat to Serb interests. Finally, Walt’s theory is confirmed in the fears of
neighboring territorial threats that motivated the Serbs to cooperate in balancing with the
Croats and Slovenes.
Croat and Slovene Motives for Unification
Where the Serbs came from a position of strength and independent governance, the
Slovene and Croat ethnic groups were subject to an altogether different history. They had
long been the property of the Hapsburg’s Austro-Hungarian Empire. While minimal regional
10
Jelavich, Barbara. History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century. Cambridge University
Press, 1983. 143.
11
Lederer, Ivo. Yugoslavia at the Paris Peace Conference: A Study in Frontier-making.
Yale University Press, 1963, 16-20.
Convention