In 1912, the Titanic sank. Which regional conflict had recently increased tensions in Europe?

The Balkan Wars are correct because they erupted the same year the Titanic sank: the First Balkan War began in October 1912, when the Balkan League (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro) attacked the weakening Ottoman Empire. The rapid redrawing of borders boosted Serbian power, alarmed Austria-Hungary, and pulled in Russian and German interests—sharpening the rivalries that soon led to World War I. It’s why the Balkans were called the “powder keg of Europe.” Remember it this way: Titanic hits the iceberg in April 1912; the Balkans ignite in October 1912. By contrast, the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05) were earlier, and while the Italo-Turkish War (1911–12) helped weaken the Ottomans, it was the Balkan Wars that directly intensified European tensions on the eve of WWI.