“Serbia must die“, propaganda postcard 1914

Medium

Wien Museum

Verwendet bei

Story

The Balkan Front

After the defeats by Italy (at Solferino and Magenta in 1859) and by Prussia (at Königgrätz in 1866), thoughts of prestige in Viennese court and government circles were linked to efforts to try to expand the Danube Monarchy’s sphere of influence in the Balkans. Focusing on that particular goal, the Habsburg Empire was prepared to disregard the international consequences of this policy. In the end, a war with Serbia was inevitable, bringing with it the risk of conflagration.

Chapter

The last steps into the war

On 7 July 1914 the Common Council of Minsters of Austria-Hungary called for a ‘swift resolution of the conflict with Serbia, through war or through acts based on Serbia being an enemy country.’ This resolution meant that the sails had been set for war.
Chapter

Friend or foe? The positions of the southern Slavs in the First World War

Even before 1914, the Serbs were regarded in the shadow of Austria-Hungary’s aggressive Balkan policy during the Balkan crisis from 1908 as ‘enemies’ of the Habsburg Monarchy. With the outbreak of war they became definitively the prime object of patriotic hate.
Chapter

The war takes over the city

Vienna was not a theatre of war, nor did it suffer destruction as a result of the fighting. Externally it changed very little, but the war quite clearly left its mark. War propaganda and patriotic enthusiasm dominated daily life in the city. The euphoria waned markedly as the war progressed and the supply situation became increasingly critical.