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Its Beginning and Aftermath with a Main Focus on Austria Journal of Research and Opinion Received 10 June 2020 | Accepted 21 June 2020 | Published Online 25 June 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15520/jro.v7i6.68 JRO 7 (6), 2738−2748 (2020) ISSN (O) 2589-9341 | (P) 2589-9058 IF:2.1 RESEARCH ARTICLE “The Great War”– Its beginning and aftermath with a main focus on Austria ∗ Rainer Feldbacher 1Associate Professor at the School Abstract of History, Capital Normal Many factors played a crucial role in the start of a conflict that the world University, Beijing, China, 100089 had seen as “a war to end all wars”, that started after the assassination of the crown prince in Sarajevo. Initially a European war, soon nations worldwide got involved. With the end of the World War and the beginning of the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, the “Republic of German-Austria” was proclaimed on November 12th, 1918, after the treaty of Saint-Germain 10 September 1919 officially as “First Republic of Austria“. The circumstances opened the door to National Socialism and the much crueler Second World War. Keywords: Austria-Hungary, World War, Habsburg, Fourteen Points, Peace Treaty of Versailles 1 INTRODUCTION – AUSTRIA´S ROLE IN and in most cases having led to Austria´s misfortune, EUROPE and mainly its disastrous way into the First World War.In the 16th century, the Habsburgs became the absburg, the rulers of the Austrian Empire largest Western European Empire since Rome, ini- whose name originated from the building of Hthe Habsburg Castle in Switzerland, built at tially ruling huge regions of that continent. Soon a the Aar, the largest tributary of the High Rhine river, political division between the Spanish and Austrian had been the dynasty with a long history. Otto II branches split it.2 The reference to Rome came to was the first to adapt the name of the castle when be a physical reality by the middle of the sixteenth he created the House of Habsburg, and eventually Rudolf I moved the house to Austria in 1276 when century: The capital of the Holy Roman Empire now he established the Habsburg dynasty. During the long history of the Habsburg Empire, Austria mainly found a way to come to power by the art of marriages, Supplementary information The online version of giving rise to the Latin lyric “Bella gerant alii, tufelix this article (10.15520/jro.v7i6.68) contains supple- Austria nube” (“Leave the waging of wars to others! mentary material, which is available to authorized But you, happy Austria, marry; for the realms which users. Mars awards to others, Venus transfers to you.1 A slogan, though often forgotten by other propaganda Corresponding Author: Rainer Feldbacher 1Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western civilization: Compre- Rainer Feldbacher hensive volume (Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth 2003), Email: [email protected] JRO 7 (6), 2738−2748 MANUSCRIPT CENTRAL 2738 FELDBACHER MANUSCRIPT CENTRAL became Vienna. only partially. Austria 1859 suffered a severe defeat In an effort to prevent Napoleon Bonaparte from against Piedmont-Sardinia, which was allied with 6 capturing his throne after the battle of Austerlitz, France. After the battles of Magenta and Solferino , Francis II abdicated and brought an end to the Holy Austria lost Lombardy. After further unfortunate bat- Roman Empire (of the German Nation) in 1806, tles, the Austrian army was defeated by the Prussian which had lasted for over thousand years. That did army at Königgrätz (nowadays HradecKrálové in the not stop Napoleon from claiming himself Holy Ro- Czech Republic). The peace of Prague finally ousted man Emperor, but Francis created the title Emperor the Empire Austria from the German Confederation. of Austria for himself.3 After Napoleon´s defeat, As a result of Austria´s defeat in this war against Austria participated as a leading member of the Prussia in 1866, the Habsburg monarchy lost much Holy Alliance at the Congress of Vienna, which of its influence in shaping the policy of the German states. Germany’s rise to dominance following its was largely dominated by Franz´chancellor Klemens successful war with Austria in 1866 and its reunifica- Wenzel, Prince of Metternich changing the Euro- tion under Bismarck (Prime Minister of Prussia and pean map.4 Though borders sometimes still slightly then Chancellor of the German Empire (once he had changed after the Congress’s results, it was not until assembled it) in 1871, rendered Austria the weaker Franz Josef I (1830-1916), Emperor of Austria and one of the two Germanic powers. His first step was King of Hungary, oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl, to oust Austria as the prime influence among these the brother and heir of Emperor Ferdinand I, that German states. He achieved this by engineering war the world changed completely. 1848, the outbreak of with Austria in 1866 over disputed territory in the the revolution in the Empire of Austria (and other duchy of Holstein. This so-called “Seven Weeks countries) seemed once again the prelude to disso- War” had ended with the complete dominance of lution. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia took the the supremely efficient Prussian military. In a peace revolutionary events as an occasion to declare war on mediated by the French Emperor, Napoleon III (who Austria, and in Hungary, revolutionary forces were had been in war with Prussia four years later, also formed that committed the march to Vienna. On smashed by the Prussian military and being deposed December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I renounced in the civil war that boiled over in France, resulting in the throne in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph. the Third French Republic), Bismarck extracted from Franz Josef became heir-apparent after his father Austria not only Schleswig and Holstein, but also renounced his right to the crown, becoming Emperor Hanover, Hesse, Nassau and Frankfurt, creating the of Austria in 1848 at the age of 18 following Ferdi- North German Federation. As importantly, Bismarck nand’s abdication towards the end of the Hungarian had successfully displaced Austria in the spheres 5 revolution of that year. of influence over the many small German states. After the victories in Italy and Hungary, the young Concerning France, the country ceded both Alsace emperor exerted a strict central force. He succeeded and Lorraine to Prussia in that aforementioned war. Bismarck’s expansionary plans were at an end. He p.330. 2The Spanish part had been ruled since 1700 by the French 6That incident led to another important development: The dynasty of the Bourbons, whose family still exists as a consti- battles at Solferino were witnessed by a Swiss businessman, tutional monarchy. Linda Frey - Marsha Frey, The treaties of Jean-Henri Dunant, who had traveled to Italy to meet French the war of the Spanish succession: An historical and critical emperor Napoléon III with the intention of discussing difficul- dictionary (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1995), pp. 191–192. ties in conducting business in Algeria, at that time occupied by 3P. H. Wilson, ‘Bolstering the prestige of the Habsburgs: France. Terrified by the suffering of the wounded soldiers left The end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806’, The International on the battlefield, Dunant completely abandoned the original in- History Review XXVIII(4) (2006), pp.709–736. tent and devoted himself to helping with the treatment and care 4Mark Jarrett, The Congress of Vienna and Its Legacy: War for the wounded. He succeeded in organizing an overwhelming and Great Power Diplomacy after Napoleon (London: I. B. level of relief assistance by motivating the local villagers to aid Tauris & Company Ltd, 2013), p.353. without any discrimination. Back to Geneva, he set a process 5Anatol Murad, Franz Joseph I of Austria and his Empire that led to the Geneva Conventions and the establishment of the (Twayne Publishers, 1968), p.6. International Committee of the Red Cross. Note by the author. MANUSCRIPT CENTRAL JRO 7 (6), 2738−2748 (2020) 2739 “THE GREAT WAR”– ITS BEGINNING AND AFTERMATH WITH A MAIN FOCUS ON AUSTRIA had secured what he wanted, and his chief desire monarchy was henceforth divided into two parts, now was to maintain its stability. Bismarck’s cre- namely the Austrian provinces (Cisleithania) and the ation of a unified Germany was of direct relevance provinces of the Hungarian crown (Transleithania). to the outbreak of the First World War, since it Each half was supposed to have its own government resulted in the assembly of the key alliances that later and its own regional parliaments. Franz Josef was came into play. And though, Bismarck achieved a its monarch, serving alongside his wife Elisabeth Dual Alliance with Austria in 1879, promising aid whom he married in 1853 (and who was regarded by to each other in the event of an attack by Russia. many Hungarians as their true monarch). Elisabeth There could not have been more contrast between played a role in the discussions that resulted in those an economically dynamic, now politically unified, shared power arrangements. After 1867, there were and military efficient Germany, on the one hand, and only three issues which were handled by both parts an economically comfortable, politically heteroge- in common, namely foreign affairs, finances, and neous, and militarily cumbersome Austria-Hungary, defense. And only for these three sectors supra- on the other. Against them stood an alliance of national ministers were appointed. This “Compro- Britain, France, and Russia known as the Triple mise of 1867” brought the most far-reaching con- Entente.7 sequences for the army. Besides, under the terms The period of peace between 1867 and 1914 was of the compromise agreement, Hungary retained in interrupted only by one bigger military event, which most cases control of its own internal affairs.
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