"Beyond their initial decisions which ultimately led to the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian leaders played a vital role in continuing and expanding the conflict to feed their territorial ambitions. Using previou... more abstract"Beyond their initial decisions which ultimately led to the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian leaders played a vital role in continuing and expanding the conflict to feed their territorial ambitions. Using previously secret material, Marvin Fried analyzes the Monarchy's aggressive and expansionist war aims in the Balkans. The conquest and subjugation of Serbia was but a cornerstone of a wider Austro-Hungarian imperialist dream of further annexations and the precursor to a hegemonic economic empire in the rest of South-East Europe. Was the purpose to make Austria-Hungary, in the words of one of its leaders, a truly 'European Great Power of the first order,' or were these simply the death throes of an obsolete empire, loathe to voluntarily part with its Great Power status and prestige? In either case, these war aims were 'life and death questions' for the Monarchy's leaders, without which there would be no peace and for which they were prepared to sacrifice enormous quantities of blood and treasure. Dr Marvin Benjamin Fried teaches First World War and Twentieth Century International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. His research focuses on the grand strategy, alliance diplomacy, and civil-military relations of the Central Powers during the First World War." http://www.palgrave.com/Products/title.aspx?pid=696913

History, War Studies, History of Hungary, World War I, First World War, and 3 more

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: Jul 23, 2014

The issue of war aims of the belligerents in the First World War remains a compelling and worthwhile avenue of research as it helps us understand the motivations and actions of the key decision-makers. While this res... more abstractThe issue of war aims of the belligerents in the First World War remains a compelling and worthwhile avenue of research as it helps us understand the motivations and actions of the key decision-makers. While this research has been conducted to a great extent on Germany and other Great Powers, the war aims of Austria-Hungary have been consistently overlooked. Despite perceived German war guilt remaining hotly debated even a century later, the motivations of its most vital and most powerful ally has been relegated to secondary status. Reappraising the role of Austro-Hungarian war aims, this article puts forward the case that the Monarchy’s war aims were far from incoherent, inconsistent, or insignificant. Rather, the civilian and military leaders in Vienna and Budapest pursued aggressive and expansionist policies aimed at securing and increasing the Monarchy’s territorial, economic, and military power. The purpose of this article is to chart the development of some of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy’s most important war aims, as discussed internally and in conjunction with its most important ally, Germany. From this analysis, the article intends to demonstrate three points. First, that Austro-Hungarian war aims were more offensive, expansionist, and annexationist in the Balkans and in Poland than previously thought. Second, that the Foreign Ministry remained in overall control of the war aims formulation process in opposition to the Army’s wishes and contrary to the German example. Finally, it argues that the war was prolonged due to Austria-Hungary’s at times almost delusional insistence on its principal war aims.

Diplomatic History, Austria (European History), International Security, Strategic Alliances, History of Hungary, and 2 more

Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg

Publication Date: Jun 2015

Publication Name: June 2015, as contribution in Afflerbach, H. (ed.) The Purpose of the First World War. War Aims and Military Strategies, De Gruyter Oldenbourg

Response to discussion of Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I Marvin Benjamin Fried Journal Of Genocide Research Vol. 18 , Iss. 4,2016 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14623528.2016.... more abstractResponse to discussion of Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I Marvin Benjamin Fried Journal Of Genocide Research Vol. 18 , Iss. 4,2016 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14623528.2016.1228681?journalCode=cjgr20

The most recent and significant foray into Austro-Hungarian wartime diplomacy is Marvin Benjamin Fried’s 2011 LSE doctoral thesis, War Aims and Peace Conditions: Austro-Hungarian Foreign Policy in the Balkans, July 19... more abstractThe most recent and significant foray into Austro-Hungarian wartime diplomacy is Marvin Benjamin Fried’s 2011 LSE doctoral thesis, War Aims and Peace Conditions: Austro-Hungarian Foreign Policy in the Balkans, July 1914-May 1917. This will be published in 2014 by Palgrave Macmillan, London, with the title The Final Stab at Glory: Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans, 1914-1918. Fried’s views are summarized in his forthcoming article, ‘“A Life and Death Question”: Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the First World War’. [23] Meanwhile he has published an article, ‘The Cornerstone of Balkan Power Projection: Austro-Hungarian Foreign Policy and the Problem of Albanian Neutrality, 1914-1918’. [24] Fried insists in his work on three basic points: first, that Austro-Hungarian war aims were more offensive, expansionist and annexationist in the Balkans and in Poland than previously thought; secondly, that the foreign ministry remained in overall control of the process of war aims formulation in opposition to the army’s policies and contrary to the German example; and thirdly, that the war was prolonged due to Austria-Hungary’s at times almost delusional insistence on its principal war aims. True, at the start of the war, Vienna had few specific war aims in mind apart from defeating Serbia militarily and making her a tributary or dependent state. Yet as the war continued and as it became clear that it would not be a short one, more extensive war aims developed. Serbia, Vienna soon agreed, due to the influence of Tisza, the Hungarian premier, was neither to be annexed nor destroyed. Instead, she was to cede territory to Bulgaria, Albania and Greece but pay reparations to Austria-Hungary which would also receive some territory as “strategically important border corrections”. Specifically, these included the north-western corner of Serbia called the Mačva, the north-east of Serbia around Negotin, and Belgrade itself. It was also important that neither Bulgaria nor Germany should dominate the Western Balkans, which should be Austria-Hungary’s exclusive sphere of influence. Tisza saw this as the most important war aim for the Monarchy. So, too, did Berchtold, who was willing to lose Galicia but not control of Serbia. Conrad, on the other hand, saw victory on the Eastern Front and the defeat of Russia as the key to any general peace, although he did realise the economic importance of the Balkans to the Monarchy. His plan, after Serbia’s defeat, would become one of annexing the rump of Serbia, once Bulgaria had been paid off with Macedonia, annexing Montenegro and dismembering Albania. Yet continued military defeats always deprived him of any real influence. In any case, the ultimate commander in chief of the armed forces — Kaiser Franz Joseph [27] — tended only to discuss foreign policy with his foreign minister. Besides, Tisza had no intention of absorbing more Slavs into the Monarchy, an issue that Conrad simply dismissed or overlooked. [...] Fried makes an excellent case for the primacy of Balkan war aims in the wartime diplomacy of Austria-Hungary. It may be true that Conrad saw the eastern front and the struggle against Russia as being more important for military survival, something which objectively was true— a Russian army pouring through the Carpathians on to the Hungarian Great Plain represented a lethal threat to the Monarchy in a way that Serbian military strategy certainly never did nor could; it may be true, also, that Austria-Hungary saw the campaign against Italy as one against a traditional enemy and one, therefore, which united all populations of the Monarchy in enthusiasm for war; but diplomatically, it may be the case that the Balkans had been the cause of the war and thereafter remained at the heart of it for Austria-Hungary’s leaders and policy-makers. The issue of Poland, however, should not be easily dismissed in the context of the war-aims of the Monarchy. Its control by, or even close association with, the Habsburgs would have added immeasurably to their prestige in a way that control of the Western Balkans could not have equalled. Still, Fried’s contribution to the historiography of Austro-Hungarian wartime diplomacy is a fundamental one.

More Info: Alan Sked, « Austria-Hungary and the First World War », Histoire@Politique. Politique, culture, société, n° 22, janvier-avril 2014 [en ligne, www.histoire-politique.fr]

Publication Date: Apr 1, 2014

Publication Name: Histoire@Politique: Politique, culture, societe. Revue electronique du Centre d'histoire de Sciences Po

This article discusses the under-researched topic of Austro-Hungarian foreign policy towards Albania during the First World War. It argues firstly that Albania's location was geo-strategically vital to both Austria-Hu... more abstractThis article discusses the under-researched topic of Austro-Hungarian foreign policy towards Albania during the First World War. It argues firstly that Albania's location was geo-strategically vital to both Austria-Hungary and Italy, and that only co-operation helped keep Albania's neutrality intact and generally protected the country against its hostile neighbours. The analysis then outlines that when the Austro–Italian alliance broke down in 1915, Austria-Hungary attempted to secure Albania's neutrality as a means of exercising indirect control over the country. Finally, once Central Power troops conquered most of Albania, the highest civil-military echelon in Vienna suffered serious strains as the Foreign Ministry attempted to retain Albanian independence and neutrality whilst the army desired its annexation. The Albanian neutrality case study is a prime example of a state unable to ensure or even influence its own neutrality by force, diplomacy, or the trade of vital resources, and whose geo-political position made control of the region vital. Drawing upon Hungarian and German-language sources, this article addresses a striking omission in First World War Balkan historiography, discusses a forgotten neutrality example, and provides insights into Austro-Hungarian policymaking towards this vital Adriatic territory.

More Info: Diplomacy & Statecraft, Volume 23, Issue 3, 2012

Despite renewed scholarly interest in war aims during the First World War, those of Austria-Hungary have so far been neglected. This thesis examines the efforts of the Monarchy's elite decision-makers to establish and... more abstractDespite renewed scholarly interest in war aims during the First World War, those of Austria-Hungary have so far been neglected. This thesis examines the efforts of the Monarchy's elite decision-makers to establish and achieve their war aims in the Balkans. It covers the decisive period of war aims formation (1914-1917) and focuses particularly on the leadership of Foreign Minister Istvan Burian (1915-1916) and the forces which affected his decision-making. The thesis demonstrates that Austria-Hungary's most vital political, economic, and military interests principally lay in the Balkans, where the Monarchy's war aims were most aggressive and expansionist. Despite facing enormous pressure for radicalization from the annexationist General Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf and the mostly non-annexationist Hungarian Prime Minister Istvan Tisza, the Foreign Ministry retained overarching decision-making authority in the war aims question. This stands in stark contrast to Germany, where military influence became predominant. Burian pursued coherent and consistent war aims aimed at expanding Austro-Hungarian power, prestige, influence, and territory in the Balkans. By emphasizing Austria-Hungary's pre-eminence there, its leaders incurred serious German and Bulgarian opposition. Despite facing grave military setbacks and the risk of slipping into vassalage to Germany, until May 1917 the Monarchy's highest echelons refused to seriously entertain peace options until its Balkan war aims were met. Continued involvement in the First World War thus served a political purpose, and this thesis demonstrates that Austro-Hungarian war aims in the Balkans were among the underlying factors prolonging the world conflagration. The work concludes by demonstrating a continuing Austro-Hungarian interest in Balkan expansion right up to the closing stages of the war. The thesis addresses one of the most significant gaps in the literature on Austria-Hungary. It does so by using formerly secret Austrian and Hungarian materials in Budapest, in addition to employing national and military archives in Austria, Hungary, Germany, the UK, and the United States.

Serbian history, World War I, First World War, and Austria-Hungary

Location: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07075332.2011.594324

More Info: "Review of Jonathan E. Gumz. The Resurrection and Collapse of Empire in Habsburg Serbia, 1914–1918. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. xii+275 pp. £45.00 (hardback)"

Publication Date: Oct 7, 2011

Publication Name: International History Review

Weimar Germany's first foreign minister, Count Brockdorff-Rantzau, presented the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 with a pamphlet of detailed German counterproposals to the peace terms. In a concise cover letter, which ... more abstractWeimar Germany's first foreign minister, Count Brockdorff-Rantzau, presented the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 with a pamphlet of detailed German counterproposals to the peace terms. In a concise cover letter, which was translated into English by the author of the article, the experienced diplomat Brockdorff-Rantzau put forward his most convincing arguments for a fair settlement at Versailles. Though the counterproposals were ultimately rejected, this rare document represents one of the only direct attempts at negotiation that took place between Germany and the Allied powers. This article analyzes Brockdorff-Rantzau's style of negotiation in order to discern whether the German government's hopes for a balanced settlement were based on naiveté or cynicism. By outlining three coherent themes in his writings—anger/defensiveness, compromise, and the rule of law—this paper argues that Brockdorff-Rantzau's words are indicative of a more cynical motivation behind his seemingly perspicuous arguments.

World War I and First World War

More Info: Diplomacy and Statecraft, 16: 403-416, 2005

Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf was born in 1854 in the Viennese suburb of Penzing to an old Austrian family. Following his entry into the Austro-Hungarian military academy, Conrad rose through the ranks and in 1906 becam... more abstractFranz Conrad von Hötzendorf was born in 1854 in the Viennese suburb of Penzing to an old Austrian family. Following his entry into the Austro-Hungarian military academy, Conrad rose through the ranks and in 1906 became the Chief of Staff of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces. His role in the Austro-Hungarian war planning and execution of the majority of the First World War was crucial, as he remained Chief of Staff until 1917. A year and a half before the war ended, the new Emperor of Austria, Kaiser Karl I, relieved Conrad of his command. Conrad died in 1925, following extensive writings about his career and wartime experiences. Conrad was seen as one of Europe’s finest strategists during his teachings at the military academy. He had seen action in Bosnia in 1878 and in Herzegovina in 1882, and was, according to his personal files, “brave, cold-blooded,” and “outstandingly courageous,”1 in short “an outstanding general.”2 Thus Conrad’s massive failure at the Battle of Lemberg (Lvov) in 1914 against the Russian forces was such a surprise, an event that decisively weakened the Austro-Hungarian forces for the rest of the war. Many also see Conrad as being responsible, at least in part, for the Austrian decision to go to war with Serbia which directly led to the outbreak First World War. Conrad discusses all of these accusations in his personal notes,3 compiled in 1925, and reassigns the blame which initially fell upon him. This article aims to translate,i analyze, and put into context the thinking and visions of the man behind the Austro-Hungarian military establishment at the outbreak of the First World War. The purpose of this article is to gain a better understanding of why one of the most central figures of the early Twentieth Century, a man who is seen by many as almost directly responsible for the outbreak of the War, acted the way he did. Using his personal documents, his thinking behind his actions will be examined to portray the man behind the uniform. We hope to gain a clearer understanding of whether he was indeed the “Architect of the Apocalypse” as Lawrence Sondhaus4 believes or whether his defense in his documents and memoirs that he was acting in the best interest of the Dual Monarchy are justified by his subsequent actions.

Military History, World War I, First World War, and Austria-Hungary

More Info: Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs, 52/2006

This article analyzes security and fundamentalism in Uzbekistan, identifying key areas for U.S. engagement in light of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The article begins by examining the historical significance of... more abstractThis article analyzes security and fundamentalism in Uzbekistan, identifying key areas for U.S. engagement in light of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The article begins by examining the historical significance of Uzbekistan’s colonization by Russia, the suppression of Islam by the Soviets, and the forging of an artificial Uzbek identity by Moscow and later by Tashkent. It then moves to an analysis of present-day Uzbekistan, looking at active Islamic fundamentalist groups, their effect on the security of the country, and government efforts to deal with them. Finally, the article draws lessons for U.S. engagement in Uzbekistan – a leading power in Central Asia – in light of the ongoing GWOT. This article concludes that a deeper understanding and closer monitoring of Uzbekistan is vital to U.S. efforts to defuse current terrorist threats and avert those that could emerge in the future.

Central Asia and US Foreign Policy

More Info: International Affairs Review, Vol. XV, No. 1, 49 – 68, Spring 2006

"Did Germany engineer the war for its own territorial ambitions, or was it a victim of the complicated diplomatic web that bound it to an unstable Hapsburg empire? The issue of German culpability is still hotly debate... more abstract"Did Germany engineer the war for its own territorial ambitions, or was it a victim of the complicated diplomatic web that bound it to an unstable Hapsburg empire? The issue of German culpability is still hotly debated today, not least amongst German historians. We take the view from Berlin to find out how the war was perceived within the borders of the Central Powers. The View from Berlin: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/worldwarone/7-the-view-from-berlin/5529066 Podcast (second segment, from 41:00): http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2014/06/wwo_20140629_1305.mp3 "

World War I and Austria-Hungary

Time: 1 PM to 2 PM

More Info: The View from Berlin, Presenter Michael Cathcart

Publication Date: Jun 29, 2014

A Century of Peril and Progress?: International History since the First World War York St John University, Friday 26 June 2015 09:00 09:15 Registration in Arts Foyer 9:15-9:30 Welcome (Dr Robert Barnes) ... more abstractA Century of Peril and Progress?: International History since the First World War York St John University, Friday 26 June 2015 09:00 09:15 Registration in Arts Foyer 9:15-9:30 Welcome (Dr Robert Barnes) 9:30-11:00 Panel 1 (QS030 Quad South Hall) Dr Marvin Fried (LSE) "Why should we bleed ourselves white for the Germans?" The First World War and the impact of the Dual Alliance Dr Christopher Price (York St John University) Weighing the Fog of War: Historical and contemporary attempts to calculate the probability of success in Dreadnought clashes at Dogger Bank and Jutland, 1915-16 Dr Peter Whitewood (York St John University) Perceptions of threat and capitalist encirclement in the interwar Stalinist regime 11:00-11:30 Tea/coffee break (Arts Foyer) 11:30-13:00 Panel 2 (QS030 Quad South Hall) Professor Alan Dobson (Swansea University/University of St Andrews) Civil Aviation since the Early Twentieth Century Dr Alex Goodall (UCL) US Foreign Economic Policy Dr Simone Pelizza (University of Leeds) Mapping the Future: The Rise, Fall and Revival of Geopolitics in Europe, 1919-2014 13:00-14:00 Lunch Break 14:00-15:00 Keynote Presentation Professor Steven Casey (LSE) Peril & Progress: American Strategic Debates, from World War I to the War on Terror 15:00-15:30 Tea/coffee break (Arts Foyer) 15:30-17:00 Panel 3 (QS030 Quad South Hall) Dr Robert Barnes (York St John University) Another “special” relationship?: Britain, Ceylon and the Early Cold War, 1948-1957 Dr Ian Horwood (York St John University) RAND, NORAD and the problem of the “sneak attack”: the development of US continental air defence in the age of the manned bomber Dr Andrew Stead (University of York) A Just Cold War Cause: Panama, American Conservatives, and Latin America’s Long Cold War 17:00-18:00 Wine reception (Arts Foyer)

International Relations, Geopolitics, International History, Diplomacy, History of Hungary, and 3 more

Beyond their fateful decisions which ultimately led to the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian leaders played a vital role in continuing and expanding the conflict to feed their territorial ambitions. Using previous... more abstractBeyond their fateful decisions which ultimately led to the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian leaders played a vital role in continuing and expanding the conflict to feed their territorial ambitions. Using previously secret material, Fried examines the Monarchy's aggressive and expansionist war aims in the Balkans. The conquest and subjugation of Serbia was but a cornerstone of a wider Austro-Hungarian imperialist dream of further annexations and the precursor to a hegemonic economic empire in the rest of South-East Europe. Was the purpose to make Austria-Hungary, in the words of one of its leaders, a truly 'European Great Power of the first order,' or were these simply the death throes of an obsolete empire, loathe to voluntarily part with its Great Power status and prestige? In either case, these war aims were 'life and death questions' for the Monarchy's leaders, without which there would be no peace and for which they were prepared to sacrifice enormous quantities of blood and treasure.

War Studies, History of Hungary, World War I, First World War, Balkans, and 2 more

WWI and Central and Eastern European History PROGRAMME Friday 12 September 2014 10.00am Greeting 10.30am–12 Austria-Hungary and the Conduct of the War Chair: Marvin Benjamin Fried (LSE) Austrian Wa... more abstractWWI and Central and Eastern European History PROGRAMME Friday 12 September 2014 10.00am Greeting 10.30am–12 Austria-Hungary and the Conduct of the War Chair: Marvin Benjamin Fried (LSE) Austrian War Government: A Critical Reassessment John Deak (University of Notre Dame) Austro-Pacifism and the Great War Daniel Laqua (University of Northumbria) The Austro-Hungarian Occupation in Kosovo 1915-1918 Eva Anne Frantz (Austrian Academy of Sciences) 12-1.30pm Lunch 1.30-3pm Collective Experiences: World War I and After Chair: Alan Sked (LSE) Trauma on the Eastern Front: European Jewry and the Great War David Rechter (Oxford University) Rich landowners or Weak Remnants of the Imperial Past? Reflections on the position of central European nobility during and in the aftermath of World War I Konstantinos Raptis (University of Athens) The ‘Green Cadres’: Peasant Revolutionism in East Central Europe at the end of the First World War Jakub S. Beneš (University of Birmingham) 3-3.30pm Coffee Break 3.30-5pm The Habsburg Dynasty Chair: R.J.W. Evans (Oxford University) “The First Victim of the First World War”: Franz Ferdinand in Austrian History and Memory Paul Miller (McDaniel College) Could Emperor Charles I have saved Austria-Hungary? Christopher Brennan (LSE, London) Charles’ I./IV. Attempts of Restoration and Exile. Central Europe and the Powers after WWI. David Schriffl (Austrian Academy of Sciences) Saturday 13 September 2014 9-10.30am The Post-War Transition: Case Studies Chair: Jonathan Gumz (University of Birmingham) ‘All the German Princes Gone!’: The Catholic Church’s Reactions to the End of War and the Creation of the First Austrian Republic Michael Carter-Sinclair (King’s College, University of London) Imperial into National Officers: k.u.k. Officers of Romanian nationality before and after the Great War Irina Marin (University of Leicester) Red Prague: Vojtěch Berger’s City, 1920-1925 Chad Bryant (University of North Carolina) 10.30-10.45am Coffee Break 10.45-12.15pm A New World? Chair: Daniel Brett (UCL) Women on the Polish-Ukrainian Cultural Borderland, 1914–1918: From Everyday Perspective to Equality of Rights Tomasz Pudłocki, Ph.D. (Jagiellonian University, Krakow) WWI and the Austrian Warfare-Welfare Nexus: A Perspective from War Victim Welfare Ke-Chin Hsia (Indiana University-Bloomington) Negotiating Post-Imperial Transitions: Local Transitions and Nationalizing States in Post-WWI Eastern Europe Gabor Egry (Institute of Political History, Budapest) 12.15-12.30pm Coffee Break 12.30-1.30pm Roundtable Discussion With Alan Sked (LSE), Jonathan Gumz (Birmingham), Jonathan Kwan (Nottingham), Paul Miller (McDaniel College) There is no conference fee. If you wish to attend, please register on the Austrian Cultural Forum site at: http://www.acflondon.org/lectures-talks-symposia/conference-world-war-i-and-central-and-eastern-eur/

World War I

Location: Austrian Cultural Forum, London

Event Date: Sep 12, 2014

"Radio Interview with ABC to be aired Sunday, June 29, at 9.00 AEST. Part of a series on the First World War." http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2014/06/wwo_20140629_1305.mp3

War Studies, First World War, and Austria-Hungary

Time: 9 AM to 10 AM

Location: ABC Radio

Event Date: Jun 29, 2014

Organization: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

http://www.historischeskolleg.de/fileadmin/anlagen_termine/2013/2013_03_21_kolloquium_afflerbach.pdf http://www.historischeskolleg.de/veranstaltungen/konferenzen/koll-2013/koll-afflerbach.html http://hsozkult.ge... more abstracthttp://www.historischeskolleg.de/fileadmin/anlagen_termine/2013/2013_03_21_kolloquium_afflerbach.pdf http://www.historischeskolleg.de/veranstaltungen/konferenzen/koll-2013/koll-afflerbach.html http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=21340

Time: 10 AM to 11 AM

Location: Munich, Germany

Event Date: Mar 22, 2013

Organization: Historisches Kolleg / München

Conference End Date: Mar 23, 2013

Conference Start Date: Mar 21, 2013

Time: 5 PM to 7 PM

Location: London School of Economics International History

More Info: "Respondent: Professor Alan SkedLocation at LSE: Room CON 2.01LSE Map: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/mapsanddirections/findingyourwayaroundlse.aspx"

Conference Start Date: Feb 2012

Time: 4 PM to 6 PM

Event Date: Jul 7, 2011

Organization: Reappraising the First World War seminar series

Location: Other Combatants, Other Fronts: Competing Histories of the First World War

More Info: Commentator

Organization: London 2009: The 5th Conference of the International Society for First World War Studies

Conference End Date: Sep 12, 2009

Conference Start Date: Sep 10, 2009

Time: 2 PM

Location: From the Trenches to Versailles, War and Memory 1914-1919, Lisbon, Portugal

More Info: Keynote Speaker

Event Date: Jun 22, 2009

Organization: Instituto de História Contemporânea

Time: 5 PM to 7 PM

Location: Institute of Historical Research (IHR)

More Info: Sole Presenter

Event Date: Mar 3, 2009

Organization: Military History Seminar

Despite renewed scholarly interest in war aims during the First World War, those of Austria-Hungary have so far been neglected. This thesis examines the efforts of the Monarchy's elite decision-makers to establish and... more abstractDespite renewed scholarly interest in war aims during the First World War, those of Austria-Hungary have so far been neglected. This thesis examines the efforts of the Monarchy's elite decision-makers to establish and achieve their war aims in the Balkans. It covers the decisive period of war aims formation (1914-1917) and focuses particularly on the leadership of Foreign Minister Istvan Burian (1915-1916) and the forces which affected his decision-making. The thesis demonstrates that Austria-Hungary's most vital political, economic, and military interests principally lay in the Balkans, where the Monarchy's war aims were most aggressive and expansionist. Despite facing enormous pressure for radicalization from the annexationist General Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf and the mostly non-annexationist Hungarian Prime Minister Istvan Tisza, the Foreign Ministry retained overarching decision-making authority in the war aims question. This stands in stark contrast to Germany, where military influence became predominant. Burian pursued coherent and consistent war aims aimed at expanding Austro-Hungarian power, prestige, influence, and territory in the Balkans. By emphasizing Austria-Hungary's pre-eminence there, its leaders incurred serious German and Bulgarian opposition. Despite facing grave military setbacks and the risk of slipping into vassalage to Germany, until May 1917 the Monarchy's highest echelons refused to seriously entertain peace options until its Balkan war aims were met. Continued involvement in the First World War thus served a political purpose, and this thesis demonstrates that Austro-Hungarian war aims in the Balkans were among the underlying factors prolonging the world conflagration. The work concludes by demonstrating a continuing Austro-Hungarian interest in Balkan expansion right up to the closing stages of the war. The thesis addresses one of the most significant gaps in the literature on Austria-Hungary. It does so by using formerly secret Austrian and Hungarian materials in Budapest, in addition to employing national and military archives in Austria, Hungary, Germany, the UK, and the United States.

War Studies, First World War, Balkans, and Austria-Hungary

More Info: Ph.D. thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science

Publication Date: Jun 1, 2011

World War I and First World War

Publisher: Palgrave Macmilan

Publication Date: Jul 2, 2014

Conflict, War Studies, Foreign Policy, First World War, Civil-military relations, and 3 more

Book Forum: Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I Authors: John Paul Newman, Samuel Foster & Eric Beckett Weaver Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I John Paul Newman, Sa... more abstractBook Forum: Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I Authors: John Paul Newman, Samuel Foster & Eric Beckett Weaver Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Balkans during World War I John Paul Newman, Samuel Foster, and Eric Beckett Weaver Journal Of Genocide Research Vol. 18 , Iss. 4,2016 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14623528.2016.1226425?needAccess=true&journalCode=cjgr20