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Divided Loyalties: The German Reich and Austria-Hungary in Austro-German Discussions of War Aims, 1914–1916

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2008

Richard W. Kapp
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Extract

In his The Man Without Qualities the Austrian writer Robert Musil examines the declining state patriotism of the Austro-Germans in 1913–1914. He describes a fictional Patriotic Campaign (Parallelaktion) in a land he calls Kakania because the Habsburg ruler was Kaiser (emperor) in Austria and König (king) in Hungary and the state's joint institutions were labeled “k. u. k.” The organizers of this Campaign hoped ostensibly to discover a Kakanian idea or mission for the upcoming celebration of the ruler's seventy-year reign in 1918, but in fact their real objective was to put a stop to the growing enthusiasm of the Austro-Germans for the German Reich. As the head of the Campaign, His Highness the Imperial Liege-Count Leinsdorf put it, he hoped “to win over precisely that section of Kakanians of German descent who felt less allegiance to their country than to the German nation.” This was no easy task as the Austro-Germans were even less loyal to their government than the other peoples of Austria-Hungary. As a result Leinsdorf planned first to gain the support of the other nationalities, “for only when one had been successful in this would all the German circles see themselves compelled to join in, since, it is, of course, much more difficult to hold aloof from something that everyone else is doing than to refuse to be the first to begin.

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Articles
Information
Central European History , Volume 17 , Issue 2-3 , June 1984 , pp. 120 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © Conference Group for Central European History of the American Historical Association 1984

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References

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14. Ibid., carton 2, Dobernig to Gross, Waltendorf-Graz, Dec. 23, 1914, included a copy of a government decree of Dec. 22, 1914. See also Kapp, Richard W., “The Failure of the Diplomatic Negotiations Between Germany and Austria-Hungary for a Customs Union, 1915–1916” (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Toronto, 1977), 191–95Google Scholar, for an analysis of Sturgkh's policy at this time.

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17. Ibid., NL Gross, carton 4, has copies of all these plans.

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23. The parliamentarians revised the statement at another meeting in Salzburg on Sept. 23–24, 1916. It has been published in Molisch, Paul, Briefe zur deutschen Politik in Osterreich von 1848 bis 1918 (Vienna and Leipzig, 1934), 388–89.Google Scholar

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26. Ibid., carton 2, “Beschlüsse der Reichskonferenz der deutschen sozialdemokratischen Arbeiterpartei in Österreich,” Mar. 5–26, 1916. Brügel, Ludwig, Geschichte der österreichischen Sozialdemokratie, 5 vols. (Vienna, 1922–1925), 5: 252–53Google Scholar, sees this resolution as a victory for the anti-Mitteleuropa faction in the party.

27. Sutter, “Stellung der Deutschen,” 322, mentions the National Union's unsuccessful attempt to enlist Social Democratic support for Mitteleuropa.

28. HStA, NL Gross, carton 4, Plener to Gross, Vienna, May 4, 1915; Baernreither to Gross, Vienna, Sept. 15, 1915.

29. Ibid., Fuchs to Gross, Vienna, Dec. 22, 1915. Fuchs was the head of the Christian Socials' parliamentary delegation, and told Gross of the contacts with the Center Party in this letter.

30. Ibid., Ad Reg, Fach 34, carton 68, Stürgkh to Burian, Vienna, May 28, 1916, no. Z690, includes copies of both memoranda. Wittek, who had been Austrian prime minister in 1899, stressed that both empires needed to keep a free hand to deal with the unsettled situation after the war.

31. Ibid., Burian to Sturgkh, Vienna, May 20, 1916, no. Z48090/9, included a report on the conference by the Monarchy's consul in Munich, Velics to Burian, Munich, Apr. 26, 1916, no. 1181P. According to Velics the participants did not reach an accord. The Center Party delegates from North Germany favored a full customs union, while the South Germans desired a more modest agreement to reduce tariffs. The Christian Socials, led by Wittek, also opposed the customs union out of concern for Austria-Hungary's independence.

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35. Ibid., NL Baernreither, carton 6, vol. 13, Vienna, Oct. 17, 1914.

36. Ibid., Vienna, Oct. 10, 1914.

37. Ibid., Berlin, Nov. 7, 1914.

38. Ibid., carton 30, “Exposé über das wirtschaftspolitische Verhältnis der Monarchie zu Deutschland nach dem Kriege.”

39. Ibid., “Denkschrift über das wirtschaftspolitische Verhältnis Österreich-Ungarns zu Deutschland.”

40. Ibid., “Schema der Beratungen,” Apr. 30, 1915; SB, NL Friedjung, Baernreither to Friedjung, Bad Kreuth, Aug. 18, 1915, no. IN163.703.

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48. See the report mentioned in n. 45 above.

49. Meyer, Mitteleuropa, 214, 234. See also Alldeutsche Blätter 26 (1916): 21–26.Google Scholar

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53. Ramhardter, Geschichtswissenschaft, 93, citing HStA, NL Marchet, carton 9, Friedjung to Marchet, Sept. 30, 1915. For Conrad's Mitteleuropa plans see Kerner, Robert J., “Austro-Hungarian War Aims in the Winter of 1915–1916 as Revealed by Secret Documents,” Journal of International Relations 10 (1919–1920): 444–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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56. Ibid., Baernreither to Friedjung, Bad Kreuth, Aug. 18, 1915, no. IN163.541.

57. PA. Bonn, Deutschland 180 Geheim, vol. 3, Tschirschky to undersecretary (Zimmermann), Vienna, Apr. 3, 1916, no. A7494. Appended to the report was “Aus der Denkschrift eines ungarischen Politikers,” as well as a covering letter from Steinacker to Zimmermann.

58. Ibid., Korodi to Your Excellency (Zimmermann), Gross Möllen bei Köslin, July 12, 1916, no. A52258, includes a copy of Steinacker's, “Bemerkungen zur ‘Denkschrift aus Deutsch-Österreich.’”

59. Ibid., Tschirschky to undersecretary (Zimmermann), Vienna, Apr. 3, 1916, no. A7494, shows that the German ambassador to Vienna did not think the Austro-Hungarian Compromise could be altered along the lines proposed by Kristoffy. Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg shared this critical view of the circle; see Scherer, André and Grunewald, J., eds., L'Allemagne et les problemes de la paix pendant la première guerre mondiale: Documents extraits des archivs de l'Office allemand des Affaires étrangères, 4 vols. (Paris, 1962–1978), 1: 482–84Google Scholar, Bethmann to Hindenburg, Berlin, Sept. 29, 1916, no. 333.

60. Kapp, “Failure of Negotiations,” 19–23, for the development of both associations before the war.

61. HStA, NL Baernreither, carton 30, “Einige Leitsatze fur die Besprechung über die Deutsch-österreichisch-ungarischen Wirtschaftsbeziehungen,” Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Dec. 10, 1914; carton 20, “Mitteleuropäischer Wirtschaftsverein,” Feb. 4, 1915.

62. Ibid., carton 20, “Verhandlungen der Ausschüsse des Mitteleuropäischen Wirtschaftsvereins in Wien und Budapest am 18. April 1915 in Wien.”

63. Ibid., carton 30, “Vorbesprechung im Hotel Adlon in Berlin am 25. März 1915”; “Sitzung vom 26. März.”

64. The above section is based on the reports of the Neue Freie Presse, June 28, 1915, 9; June 29, 1915, 12–13; June 30, 1915, 8–9.

65. HStA, Ad Reg, Fach 34, carton 67, Hohenlohe to Ballplatz, Berlin, July 27, 1915, no. Z34.451/A; Berliner Tageblatt, July 24, 1915, clipping appended to Hohenlohe report.

66. Das Fremdenblatt, July 20, 1915, 1.

67. See Hohenlohe's report, cited in n. 65 above.

68. HStA, Ad Reg, Fach 34, carton 67, “Entschliessung des Deutsch-Österreichisch-Ungarischen Wirtschafts-verbandes.” Dresden, Nov. 29, 1915, no. ZK 59604.

69. Ibid., carton 68, Thoros to Burian, Dresden, Nov. 30, 1915, no. Z42P.

70. Ibid., carton 97, Vienna, Nov. 20, 1915, no. 11 5742/9, for a copy of the resolution; ibid., PA I, carton 618, Tisza to Burian, Budapest, Nov. 27, 1915, for Tisza's comment. I am indebted to Dr. Thomas Barcsay of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute for the translation from the Hungarian.

71. Kapp, “Failure of Negotiations,” 353–54.

72. HStA, NL Gross, carton 4, Baernreither to Gross, Vienna, Sept. 4, 1915.

73. Meyer, Mitteleuropa, 250; Kapp, “Failure of Negotiations,” 351–61.

74. Jarausch, Konrad, “Illiberalism and Beyond: German History in Search of a Paradigm,” Journal of Modern History 55 (06, 1983): 283CrossRefGoogle Scholar. See also Sheehan, James J., “What is German History?” Journal of Modern History 53 (03, 1981): 1–23.Google Scholar