RAVESTEIJN ON THE BALKAN PROBLEM (original) (raw)
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
NOTEBOOK “α”
(“ALPHA”)
RAVESTEIJN ON THE BALKAN PROBLEM
W. van Ravesteijn, “The Balkan Problem”, Die Neue Zeit,
1913 (31st year, Volume I). November 15, 1912.
| N.B. | | “Such a federation” (of Balkan countries, including Turkey) “would be able to satisfy the cultural needs of this geographically integral area and to erect an insurmountable barrier to the advance of European imperialism, and also of Russian world power. All other solutions of the Balkan problem can be only of a temporary nature and cannot for long satisfy the interests of all the races and nations that live there” (p. 228). | | ---- | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| “A federation of all the Balkan countries will natu-rally be resisted by European imperialism and tsarismwith all their strength. Their common interest, now asin the past, is aggravation of mutual enmity and rivalrybetween these nations and Turkey so as the more easilyto exploit their territories as colonial spheres. Willthe statesmen of Turkey and the Balkan countriescome to realise their common interests and put anend to this murderous war by entering into closerelations with one another? If they fail to do this,they will sacrifice the interests of their peoples toEuropean capitalism and the interests of the Balkandynasties” (p. 229). | |
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