ABSTRACT

The Bulgar ian attack on Serbian positions on the night of 29-30 June unleashed the hostilities which had been escalating since the previous autumn. The Bulgarians, Greeks, and Serbs all perceived war as the means to resolve their disputes. Essentially, all three were fighting for Macedonia. The war presented the Bulgarians with an opportunity to reverse the Serbian alliance of 1912 and acquire all Macedonia. A greater Bulgar ia could dominate the Balkans. The Greeks and Serbs not only faced the prospect of dividing the r ich reg ion between themselves, but also of preventing Bulgar ian hegemony. Their alliance agreements in the spr ing of 1913 provided for northern Macedonia, including Skoplje, to remain with Serbia and southern Macedonia, including Salonika, to stay with Greece. After the fighting began, the Romanians seized the opportunity to resolve their dispute with Bulgaria over Dobrudzha, and the Ottomans used the occasion to take back Adrianople.