which area of europe was known as the powder keg of europe prior to the outbreak of world war 1
Powder keg of Europe The powder keg of Europe or Balkan powder keg was the Balkans in the early part of the 20th century preceding World War I. There were a number of overlapping claims to territories and spheres of influence between the major European powers such as the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German Empire and, to a lesser degree, the Ottoman Empire, the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Italy.