Србија и Британија 1903-1906. Године очима савремене Британске штампе
Serbia and Great Britain From 1903 to 1906 as Seen by the British Press

Summary/Abstract: The event of the night of 29/30 May (10/11 June) 1903 had far reaching consequences for domestic and foreign policy of Serbia. The British conservative government refrained from public statements, and the British envoy was ordered to leave Belgrade on the eve of arrival of the new king. The developments in the Balkans in early 20th century did not receive much coverage by the British daily papers. Only The Times and The Morning Post had Balkan correspondents prior to the overthrow in 1903, but the British dailies were quick to strongly accuse the protagonists of these events. The press was largely influenced by King Edward VII, who thought that the appointment of the British envoy to Serbia would represent condoning of the assassination of a ruler, which could lead to further assassinations of monarchs. The British establishment and particularly the Conservative government required the press to be consistent with the principles of monarchism. In early 20th century, Britain did not have a special political interest in the Balkans, since it was a sphere of Russian and Austro-Hungarian political influence. With the involvement of Russia in the war at the Far East, the balance was disturbed in favour of Austro-Hungary, and German advancement further into the East was facilitated. This resulted in closer relations between Great Britain and Russia, and a change in relations between Great Britain and Serbia. Both conservative and liberal British press accused Serbia in 1903 and hailed the break of diplomatic relations. However, as of 1905/1906, the Balkans attained an important place in the British policy as the result of numerous external factors. As of late 1905, requests to renew diplomatic relations reached the British press from Serbia, but also from the British official circles and the new Liberal Cabinet who realised that Serbia could not only be a potential but also an effective bulwark against the expansion of the Tripartite Pact. After the normalisation of the diplomatic relations and the outbreak of the Customs War between Serbia and Austro-Hungary, both conservative and liberal press supported the policy of Serbia in accordance with the British interests.

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