The Balkans in 1915 through the eyes of American journalist John Reed

Abstract

The article is devoted to John Reed’s book “The War in Eastern Europe. Travels through the Balkans in 1915” (1916) that was translated into the Russian language under the title “Along the Front”(1928). The author emphasizes the discrepancy between the American and Soviet editions and analyzes the specific features of John Reed’s book as a historical primary source. This article focuses on Reed’s description of the situation in the Balkan countries - Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the First World War (April - October, 1915). The author also examines John Reed’s attitude towards war, his representations of public mood and sentiments as well as the foreign policy concepts of the Balkan countries. Two of them had already entered the First World War. The others - considering ethnic and territorial advantages - were deliberating whether they should take the side of the Entente or the Triple Alliance.