(A) the Middle-East
(B) Alsace-Lorraine
(C) Austria-Hungary
(D) ** the Balkan Peninsula
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -This Triple Entente, which squared o against the German-Austro-Hungarian alliance, meant that any regional con ict had the potential to turn into a general European war. As a result, the Balkans were known as the “powder keg” of Europe. A powder keg is a container for gunpowder which can erupt if there is a spark.
Concept note-2: -The Powder Keg of Europe is a term used to describe the situation in the Balkan Peninsula before World War I. This situation involved the wish of many Slavic people living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to be free of Austrian rule. This desire was supported by Russia, the largest Slavic nation in Europe.
Concept note-3: -The Balkan Power Keg is a metaphor used by historians to refer to the nationalistic tensions present in the Balkans region of Europe before the 1914 outbreak of World War I.
Concept note-4: -Instead, the Balkan Powder Keg is a general term used to describe the southeastern section of Europe where Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro are located. These countries were part of the Ottoman Empire, and the empire was declining by the early 1900s, leaving an opportunity to vie for regional power.