Peter Prokš

In the 19th century, the period of dynamic development in Central Europe, several nations stood out due to their nationalism which became the most important principle of political, cultural and social life. At the same time, Germany’s attempts to gain total control of the region were particularly apparent. According to contemporary views, prevailing among the supporters of the ‘Greater German’ solution for the future of Central Europe, the fi ght for the “imperial position of the uniform German Reich in the world” meant, primarily, a campaign against the Slavs. This was due to the fact that the Slavs represented the majority among the nations which were a part of the Habsburg monarchy, whose closer links with Germany were an indispensable condition for survival.
However, the ruling circles in Berlin increasingly raised doubts as to whether keeping alive the decaying Habsburg monarchy is reasonable. A question was asked whether it would be a better solution to rather incorporate Cisleithania, including the Czech countries, directly into Germany. The breakthrough in the development of Central Europe was the First World War. Germany also justifi ed the unleashing of the war as a necessity for the survival of Austro-Hungary. The main opponent of German plans for the governance over Central and Eastern Europe was Russia. Therefore, following the defeat of the Russian army on the Eastern Front in May 1915 and moving of the troops of the Central Powers towards the East with the subsequent occupation of the Russian annexed part of the original Kingdom of Poland, also known as Congress Poland, the future of Poland and, at the same time, of the Habsburg Monarchy, along with the prospects of potential reconstruction of the Austro- Hungarian monarchy into a trialistic state, became a burning issue. In addition to the external pressure, Vienna also felt the internal pressure from supporters of close ties between the Habsburg Monarchy and Germany. In its quest for a total subjugation of Central Europe, Berlin attracted supporters with crystallized views in the very Austro Hungary, primarily, among Greater German nationalists in Cisleithania who fully identifi ed themselves with imperialistic plans of the German Empire. At the same time, they also hoped to push through their own imperialistic claims in the Habsburg Monarchy, by introducing an unconditional German hegemony in Cisleithania. However, the defeat of the German army on the Western Front in August 1918 forced Berlin to strongly reevaluate its initial, somewhat excessive, imperialistic ambitions. Although Germany’s former imperialistic aspirations were irretrievably lost, Berlin was not going to accept the fact that the war (although lost) would not bring any benefi t. Therefore, it focused its attention on its neighbour and ally, and considered the ‘Anschluss’, i.e. the acquisition of certain parts of the crumbling Habsburg monarchy. To this end, it intended to use, in particular, the Greater German tendencies in Cisleithania. The eff orts to maintain the German hegemony over Central Europe, and stressing the need of protection against ‘the danger of Bolshevism’ from the East in the post-war period became some of the most important tools of foreign policy, and, subsequently, led to the renewal of Germany’s imperial ambitions. They also included conscious striving for the original Greater German solution for the future of Central Europe, although adapted to the contemporary ideological situation of the empire, due to the unleashing of World War II.