The great European powers and the Albanians in 1878: from the San Stefano Treaty to the Berlin Congress

Abstract

The research problem and targets of this article are to investigate the policy of the Great European Pow- ers in order to settle a Great Eastern Crisis in 1878 and the “Albanian Question”. The research object of the article is the emergence of the “Albanian Question” in Europe in 1878. Our fundamental research goals are to examine how the Concert of Europe composed by the Great European Powers answered to the challenge posed by the Great Eastern Crisis of 1875−1878 and how the Albanians and their national representatives reacted to the new European policy of remapping the Southeast Europe in order to solve the crisis and satisfy the political interests of the Great European Powers. Research methodology used to lead the investigation is composed by the text analysis of the historical docu- ments and scientific literature relevant to the research problem and targets of the article. The crucial research results of the investigation are: 1. The “self-help” policy of the Great European Powers led them to activate a “balance of power” concept in the international relations in their attempts to finally resolve the Great Eastern Crisis in 1878; and 2. The Albanian reactions to both the San Stefano and the Berlin treaties of 1878 were: a) to rise the “Albanian Question” for the first time in the European history on organized political way; b) to strengthen support for the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire as the best means to fight the decisions by both San Stefano and Berlin treaties; and c) to launch their own project of a Greater Albania either as a new European independent state or the autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire.