Pre-war
1914
Outbreak of the war
1915
1916
1917
1918
End of the war
Post-war

Martin Mutschlechner

Chapter

The 1908 annexation crisis

The Congress of Berlin failed to bring about a lasting solution in the Balkans. Behind the façade of a laboriously maintained peace, the old conflicts continued to simmer. Austria-Hungary’s ambitions as a major power were also focused on the Balkans as a means of pasting over the problems at home with a demonstration of strength abroad.

Chapter

The Congress of Berlin and the division of the Balkans

The Congress of Berlin in 1878 was a textbook example of two-tier diplomacy characterized by the arrogance of the major powers with regard to the smaller nations and decisions being made over their heads that were to have fateful consequences.

Chapter

Bosnia and Austria’s aspirations in the Balkans

The government in Vienna sought to prevent Russia from establishing itself as the protector of the orthodox Balkan Slavs. The Habsburg Balkan policy therefore aimed at strengthening the Austrian presence in the Balkan ‘powder keg’. It was thwarted in doing so by the rise of Serbia as a regional power.

Chapter

Under the crescent: the Ottoman Empire and Europe

In the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire had difficulty in maintaining its status as a major power. The need to modernize the huge empire became increasingly pressing, as the backwardness in many areas compared with the European powers revealed itself.

Chapter

The multinational empire – nationalism vs. the unified state

The last decades of Emperor Franz Joseph’s rule were marked by conflicts between the various nationalities within the Habsburg Monarchy. The competing national demands were increasingly incompatible with the idea of a supranational Austria-Hungary.

Chapter

Different speeds: economic development

The Habsburg Monarchy incorporated territories with very different cultural, social and economic development. This variety, which was extremely fecund at the cultural level, proved to be an obstacle to the modernization of the state as a whole.

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