EN
Deutsche Agrarbank für Oesterreich started its business operations in 1912. The bank reflected the political and economic ambitions of the Deutsche Agrarpartei in Boehmen (German Agrarian Party in Bohemia) that wanted to expand to all Cisleithania. The bank's goals were based on the ideology of agrarianism requiring that the large financial amounts available in the country should be used for the development of rural areas and that their use by other social groups of capitalist business should be prevented. Deutsche Agrarbank für Oesterreich had only two years' time to implement its business plans. During the First World War the bank followed the practice of the other German national banks, which by subscribing war loans demonstrated their belief in the victory of the Central Powers - Germany and Austro-Hungary. The bank could only slowly and with much difficulty recover from the problems caused by the war economy and postwar depression. Although it obtained help from the Czechoslovak State to restore its profitability, as well as some support from Germany and ultimately also from the General Bank Recovery Fund, it remained on the brink of failure during the whole period of time between the two world wars.