The Balkans and Austria‑Hungary 1908–1912

• Authors: Martin Urban
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The position of Austria–Hungary on the Balkans changed considerably due to the Bosnian crisis in 1908/1909. The effort of the Austro‑Hungarian foreign minister Alois Lexa von Aehrenthal to establish cooperation with Russia on the basis of the previous entente was ruined due to this event. The annexation also completely destroyed Vienna’s prestige in Belgrade and made the Serbs a mortal enemy of the monarchy. Austria‑Hungary therefore had to change its policy on the Balkans. Its main effort was the preservation of the status quo on the peninsula. One of its prerequisites was the maintenance of the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire. Austria‑Hungary therefore tried to cautiously cooperate with the Porte and to force it to conduct reforms. This effort was however unsuccessful. In the meantime Vienna was not able to hinder the creation of an alliance of the Balkan states, which threatened to destroy the status quo. When these countries began their long prepared war against the Ottomans the interests of the Habsburg Monarchy on the Balkans were in mortal peril.

Keywords

EN

Austria‑Hungary; Balkans; Russia; Serbia; Diplomacy; International Relations

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Czech Republic
• Journal: Prague Papers on the History of International Relations
• Year: 2014
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 112-127

Contributors

author

Martin Urban

• Departement of Historical Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen