Monday, December 30, 2019

1919-9-10 - Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Dissolution of Austria : Treaty of Saint-Germain - mlh > .
22-12-2 Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia - Danube & Europe's Future - Kraut > .
Long Shadow & Impossible Peace → Global Conflicts - BePr >> .


The Treaty of Saint-Germain - Worse Than Versailles? - tgw > .
The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed on 10 September 1919, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand and by the Republic of German-Austria on the other. 

The treaty, negotiated in the opulent Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, was a cornerstone of the broader Paris Peace Conference. The First World War had led, at the Treaty of Trianon to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the separation of Austria from the new Hungarian People’s Republic.

The Austrian delegation to Paris was led by Austrian politician and jurist of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria, Karl Renner. He is often referred to as the "Father of the Republic" because he led the first government of the Republic of German-Austria and the First Austrian Republic in 1919 and 1920, and was once again decisive in establishing the present Second Republic after the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, becoming its first President after World War II (and fourth overall). Renner had little choice but to agree to the redrawing of national borders that saw the emergence of several independent nations. The "successor states" were Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Yugoslav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as Yugoslavia). These new boundaries were intended to reflect ethnic and linguistic divisions and grant self-determination to the various national groups that had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

As a result, Austria underwent significant territorial losses including the Sudetenland going to the newly-created Czechoslovakia and Galicia becoming part of Poland. Furthermore, the Treaty of Saint-Germain imposed restrictions on Austria's military capabilities and limited its sovereignty, reducing the country to a much smaller and less influential state. The treaty also imposed reparations on Austria, further straining its economy and hindering its post-war recovery efforts.

While the treaty aimed to establish European stability and prevent future conflicts, its consequences were complex. The redrawing of borders led to the displacement of ethnic groups and minorities, causing tensions that persisted for decades. Meanwhile the economic burdens placed on Austria contributed to social and political instability, contributing to the creation of an environment in which extremist movements later found support.

The treaty declared that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to be dissolved. According to article 177 Austria, along with the other Central Powers, accepted responsibility for starting the war. The new Republic of Austria, consisting of most of the German-speaking Danubian and Alpine provinces in former Cisleithania, recognized the independence of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Yugoslav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the "successor states"). The treaty included 'war reparations' of large sums of money, directed towards the Allies (however the exact amount have never been defined and collected from Austria).

Like the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary and the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, it contained the Covenant of the League of Nations and as a result was not ratified by the United States but was followed by the US–Austrian Peace Treaty of 1921.
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As a preamble, on 21 October 1918, 208 German-speaking delegates of the Austrian Imperial Council had convened in a "provisional national assembly of German-Austria" at the Lower Austrian Landtag. While the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Army culminated at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the Social Democrat Karl Renner was elected German-Austrian State Chancellor on 30 October. In the course of the Aster Revolution on 31 October, the newly established People's Republic of Hungary under Minister President Mihály Károlyi declared the real union with Austria terminated.

With the Armistice of Villa Giusti on 3 November 1918, the fate of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was sealed. On 11 November 1918 Emperor Charles I of Austria officially declared to "relinquish every participation in the administration", one day later the provisional assembly declared German-Austria a democratic republic and part of the German Republic. However, on the territory of the Cisleithanian ("Austrian") half of the former empire, the newly established states of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Yugoslav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the "successor states") had been proclaimed. Moreover, South Tyrol and Trentino were occupied by Italian forces and Yugoslav troops entered the former Duchy of Carinthia, leading to violent fights.

An Austrian Constitutional Assembly election was held on 16 February 1919. The Assembly re-elected Karl Renner state chancellor and enacted the Habsburg Law concerning the banishment of the House of Lorraine. When Chancellor Renner arrived at Saint-Germain in May 1919, he and the Austrian delegation found themselves excluded from the negotiations led by French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. Upon an Allied ultimatum, Renner signed the treaty on 10 September. The Treaty of Trianon in June 1920 between Hungary and the Allies completed the disposition of the former Dual Monarchy.

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sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum    therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...