Seite - 672 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

672 The Writing on the Wall Russia, the successor to Prime Minister Stürmer, Alexander F. Trepov, had appeared before the Duma stating that final victory was of paramount importance. Russia had also been offered Constantinople and the Turkish Straits. In Great Britain, Prime Min- ister Asquith had been replaced by David Lloyd George, who sounded extremely de- termined. In the German Empire, the Navy Command threatened with an expansion of the submarine war. And news came from Washington that a peace initiative by the American President was imminent. If an independent step was indeed to be taken, ac- tion would have to be taken immediately. Now, every day counted. On 12 December, following a final exchange of information, the peace note drafted by the Central Powers was transferred to the neutral protecting powers to be forwarded to the Entente and its allied states. The most important passage ran : ‘Supported by their awareness of their military and economic strength and their readiness to continue the war (which has been forced upon them) to the bitter end, if necessary ; at the same time, prompted by the desire to avoid further bloodshed and put an end to the atroc- ities of war, the four allied powers propose to enter forthwith into peace negotiations. The propositions which they bring forward for such negotiations, and which have for their object a guarantee of the existence, of the honour and liberty of evolution for their nations, are, according to their firm belief, an appropriate basis for the establishment of a lasting peace. […] If, in spite of this offer of peace and reconciliation, the struggle should go on, the four allied powers are resolved to continue to a victorious end, but they solemnly disclaim responsibility for this before humanity and history.’1530 This was not in fact a peace note ; it was a blatant threat ! Ten days later, Count Burián was replaced as Foreign Minister by Count Ottokar Czernin. There were several factors at work here. Burián clearly did not enjoy the con- fidence of the new Emperor ; as Karl put it, he was ‘somewhat ossified’.1531 The German Empire had applied strong pressure for his dismissal, and Czernin, whom Karl evi- dently expected to pursue an active foreign policy, was therefore to take over this most important ministry. He was conceivably willing to take on the role. There was another element, however. Emperor Karl was angered by the German refusal to sign a solidar- ity pact. And on the day after the negotiations on the subject had failed, he notified his brother-in-law, Sixtus Bourbon-Parma, that he wanted to meet for a face-to-face discussion. The arrangements were however to be made not by Tisza’s representative, Burián, but by Czernin, who represented the Emperor. The great disappointment for the illusionary peace policy, in which dreams were still nurtured of wide-reaching conquests, came at the beginning of 1917. On 5 January, the response of the Entente powers to the peace note issued by the Central Powers arrived in Washington, and from there, was communicated to the Quadruple Alliance.1532 The war aims of the Entente included everything necessary to make it clear to the Central Powers their unbending will to continue the war. Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy,