Austria Hungary Flashcards
When had Austria been the main threat to the Ottoman Empire?
After the Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699,
when Habsburgs gained most of Hungary, Transylvania, Slavonia, and Croatia
Did Austria continue to gain lots of territories from the Ottoman Empire after the Treaty of Karlowitz?
No, only Exceptions were
◦ Banat of Temeswar[now in Romania] which was acquired under 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz;
◦ Bukovina (north-western part of principality of Moldavia, occupied in Sept. 1775 and ceded by Ottoman Empire in May 1775[now part of Romania and Ukraine]
Why did Austria not want the Ottoman Empire to be weakened?
Vienna feared that Balkans, adjacent to Hungary, could become dominated by Russia or client states of Russia;
The dislocation of the Ottoman Empire in Europe was linked to emergence of national movements. The Habsburgs feared that, if successful, those would create precedent and pose a threat to their own empire which included many ethnic minorities. This was particularly the case in Hungary, where Magyars represented barely 50% of population and centralisation of the kingdom and policies of Magyarisation implemented by Budapest antagonised ethnic minorities.
What was one alternative political possibility to Austria should the Ottoman Empire disintegrate?
To gain Ottoman Territory before Russia or other powers did. However in Austrian eyes annexation often created problems. They mostly didn’t achieve this political possibility - they became too weak to oppose the creation of new states.
Why was in also beneficial economically for Austria if the Ottoman Empire was preserved?
Even if the foreign trade of the Habsburg empire remained fairly limited, Balkans were seen as both source of resources and market. Trade as well as communications (railways) were used by authorities as tools to try to control new states of the region, especially Serbia
