Seite - 495 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918
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The Vision
of Peace with Victory 495
ative factors : Albania, Montenegro and those territories of Serbia that had only been
separated from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and 1913 experienced, in spite of the
occupation, a boost in innovation and were acquainted a little with Central European
conditions. The expansion of the education system, the establishment of postal services,
the construction of roads and paths, which were naturally also linked to the occupation,
were just such positive indications. In Cetinje, the old capital city of Montenegro, the
monument that is most carefully treasured today as a first-rate cultural landmark was
established alongside the singular construction of the Biljarda of King Nikola Petrovič
Njegoš : the first and only relief in Montenegro. Austrian occupation soldiers under the
guidance of an officer trained in geography crafted it on a scale of 1 :10,000.
Other things, above all,the relentless fight against real and imagined spies and also,
the struggle against the underground, which was gradually gathering together, led to
repressive measures that revealed the ugly side of the occupiers.
For the political and military leadership of Austria-Hungary, the success in the west-
ern Balkans was satisfying. It ultimately affected the delicate mood of the Chief of the
Austrian General Staff so deeply that he took the step that had been expected from him
for weeks : on 22 January 1916, Conrad sent a conciliatory letter to Falkenhayn. Subse-
quently, on the occasion of Kaiser Wilhelm’s birthday celebrations on 26 January 1916,
a meeting took place not only between the German Kaiser and Archdukes Karl and
Friedrich, but also between the general staff chiefs in Pszczyna. However, it was limited
to very general discussions. Falkenhayn and Conrad only gave mutual confirmations
that they had not been able to reach a closer understanding in respect of their views on
the next strategic objectives. Both Kaiser Wilhelm and Falkenhayn argued that King
Nikola should be left on the Montenegrin throne. Conrad presented counterarguments.
In the Balkans, he claimed, a reorganisation had to take place, since this was where
the war had started and where Russia had had its allies.1181 In the case of Russia, the
hopes of a separate peace had foundered and this raised the question as to how the
war would develop on this front. Where were the limits of a thrust towards the east, if
such a thing had to be attempted ? Where should the line be drawn that Napoleon had
also failed to reach ? There were certainly controversial viewpoints in this respect and
not only within the German Supreme Army Command but also in the Imperial and
Royal Army Command. No-one, however, could give a more exact insight beyond mere
personal preferences.
Then the Chiefs of the General Staffs discussed Italy. Falkenhayn said he was still
against an offensive, but wanted to discuss it once more in detail. Everyone eventually
agreed that somewhere the opportunity must offer itself to pry another opponent out
of the united front of the Entente powers. Falkenhayn was thinking of France, but
Conrad continued to have only ‘perfidious’ Italy in mind.
THE FIRST WORLD WAR
and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918
- Titel
- THE FIRST WORLD WAR
- Untertitel
- and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918
- Autor
- Manfried Rauchensteiner
- Verlag
- Böhlau Verlag
- Ort
- Wien
- Datum
- 2014
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-205-79588-9
- Abmessungen
- 17.0 x 24.0 cm
- Seiten
- 1192
- Kategorien
- Geschichte Vor 1918
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- 1 On the Eve 11
- 2 Two Million Men for the War 49
- 3 Bloody Sundays 81
- 4 Unleashing the War 117
- 5 ‘Thank God, this is the Great War!’ 157
- 6 Adjusting to a Longer War 197
- 7 The End of the Euphoria 239
- 8 The First Winter of the War 283
- 9 Under Surveillance 317
- 10 ‘The King of Italy has declared war on Me’ 355
- 11 The Third Front 383
- 12 Factory War and Domestic Front, 1915 413
- 13 Summer Battle and ‘Autumn Swine’ 441
- 14 War Aims and Central Europe 469
- 15 South Tyrol : The End of an Illusion (I) 497
- 16 Lutsk :The End of an Illusion (II) 521
- 17 How is a War Financed ? 555
- 18 The Nameless 583
- 19 The Death of the Old Emperor 607
- 20 Emperor Karl 641
- 21 The Writing on the Wall 657
- 22 The Consequences of the Russian February Revolution 691
- 23 Summer 1917 713
- 24 Kerensky Offensive and Peace Efforts 743
- 25 The Pyrrhic Victory : The Breakthrough Battle of Flitsch-Tolmein 769
- 26 Camps 803
- 27 Peace Feelers in the Shadow of Brest-Litovsk 845
- 28 The Inner Front 869
- 29 The June Battle in Veneto 895
- 30 An Empire Resigns 927
- 31 The Twilight Empire 955
- 32 The War becomes History 983
- Epilogue 1011
- Afterword 1013
- Acknowledgements and Dedication 1019
- Notes 1023
- Selected Printed Sources and Literature 1115
- Index of People and Places 1155