TO MAKE HEADWAY BEFORE THE BREAKUP. THE LAST EFFORTS OF IMPERIAL-ROYAL DIPLOMACY TO END THE PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRO-HUNGARY IN THE WW I (Zdazyc przed rozpadem. Ostatnie wysilki... na rzecz zakonczenia udzialu Austro-Wegier w I wojnie swiatowej)

• Authors: Jeziorny Dariusz
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Already from the spring of 1917 the political elites of Austro-Hungary were convinced that owing to the difficult economic situation of the country (the absence of food and raw materials) its participation in the Great War should end before that year came to a close. Nonetheless, wartime developments (primarily the Peace of Brest with the People's Republic of Ukraine and then with Soviet Russia) prolonged the involvement of the dual monarchy in the hostilities. Ultimately, the capitulation of Bulgaria on 29 September 1918 awoke the ruling circles and the imperial-royal (k.u.k - 'kaiserlich und königlich') diplomacy to the existing menace. The dramatic economic situation, the growing national separatism of the Slav nations, and the declining morale of the armed forces were now accompanied by strategic threats. In the course of the progressing offensive of the Entente armies from the Balkans, the state border would remain undefended. The prevailing situation compelled the ruling circles of the Habsburg monarchy to rapidly seek ways of signing the armistice as long as the collapsing country still remained a uniform entity. Attempts were made to coordinate suitable steps with the closest ally, the German Reich, which, however, aimed at delaying the attempts made by Vienna and certainly at preventing Austro-Hungary from signing a separatist peace with the enemy. The diplomacy of the monarchy Dannbtan considered its ally's position, but was also aware of the necessity for swift undertakings. Hence the steps taken for the sake of initiating negotiations with representatives of the opposite camp, conducted in neutral states, especially in Switzerland. Everywhere, the Austro-Hungarian efforts met with understanding and even support, but to no avail. The initiatives made at the literally last moment were chaotic, and although in Vienna they gave rise to great hopes and even illusions cherished in the last days of the existence of the monarchy, namely, that enemy states would save the unity of the country in the name of their own interests, they met with total failure. The member states of the Entente and the USA, aware of the approaching end of the war and their own victory, were simply not interested in salvaging their enemy. Ultimately, it proved impossible to extract Austro-Hungary from the war, a fiasco that contributed to the disintegration of that state.

Keywords

EN

AUSTRO–HUNGARY (1914-1918); HABSBURG'S MONARCHY DIPLOMACY

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla PAN w Warszawie
• Journal: Dzieje Najnowsze
• Year: 2008
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 79-99
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Jeziorny Dariusz

• Dariusz Jeziorny, Uniwersytet Lódzki, Instytut Historii, ul. A. Kaminskiego 27a, 20-219 Lódz, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA063915