Austria-Hungary in foreign economic activities of Serbia at the turn of the 20th century

Introduction. The history of the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula still occupies a central place in global and domestic historiography. The rise of nationalism among “small” peoples in the region, coupled with the political ambitions of the great powers, led Europe to catastrophe in 1914. The mechanisms used by Austria-Hungary, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy to strengthen their positions in the Balkans continue to be of significant research interest today. Particular attention is paid in this regard to the recognition by European political leaders of the importance of combining military-strategic and economic approaches to consolidate their influence in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary was one of the first to understand the importance of intensifying foreign economic ties with the states of the region, including Serbia, whose ambitions posed a threat to the stability of the Habsburg Empire. Materials and Methods. The primary historical source is the reports of Russian diplomats serving in the embassies and consulates of Serbia and Austria-Hungary. The author utilizes historical-genetic, historical comparative, and historical-typological methods, as well as economic history approaches. Analysis. At the turn of the 20th century, Austria-Hungary, using the terms of the 1881 trade agreement with Serbia, controlled most of its foreign economic relations. Germany and other European states, particularly Russia, were significantly inferior to the Habsburg Empire in this regard. The Austro-Hungarian monarchy repeatedly used restrictions on Serbian exports to achieve its own objectives. On the one hand, this factor was explained by the desire of Hungarian farmers to limit the position of Serbian competitors in the empire’s domestic market, and on the other, it was explained by the desire to exert pressure on Belgrade in the event of disputes. This factor forced Serbia to address the issue of diversifying its own exports and developing its processing industry. Results. Austria-Hungary experience in developing economic ties with Serbia demonstrates the importance of this process for ensuring more stable political relations between Vienna and Belgrade. However, this arrangement only had long-term prospects when cooperation between the partners was based on mutual benefit, something that Austria-Hungary and Serbia periodically encountered problems with. 

1. Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AVP RI). F. 151. Inv. 482. D. 576.

2. Vishnyakov Ya.V. The military factor and state development of Serbia in the early 20th century. Moscow: MGIMO University, 2016. 440 p. (In Russ.).

3. Vishnyakov Ya.V. “The matter smells of kerosene.” Danube shipping and Russian policy in the Balkans in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Rossiyskaya istoriya. 2023;(3):143-155. (In Russ.).

4. Vishnyakov Ya.V. Serbia in the economic strategy of the Russian Empire in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Vestnik RUDN. Seriya istoriya Rossii. 2024;(2):179-190. (In Russ.).

5. Vishnyakov Ya.V. Trade as an instrument of policy. The Russian-Serbian trade treaty of 1893 and its consequences. Slavyanovedenie. 2023;(5):5-19. (In Russ.).

6. Goryainov M. Foreign trade of Serbia. Report of the attaché at the mission in Belgrade. In: Collection of Consular Reports for 1905. Issue III. St. Petersburg: Tovarishchestvo Khudozhestvennoy pechati, 1905. p. 141-156. (In Russ.).

7. Evreinov B. Meat export from Serbia. Report of the Second Secretary of the mission in Belgrade. In: Collection of Consular Reports for 1902. Issue II. St. Petersburg: Tovarishchestvo Khudozhestvennoy pechati, 1902. p. 102-111. (In Russ.).

8. Iskanderov P.A. Serbia under the Obrenović dynasty. In: In the 'Powder Keg of Europe'. 1878–1914. Moscow: Indrik, 2003. p. 165-182. (In Russ.).

9. Kireeva K.S. Serbia’s struggle for economic independence in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. In: Slavs and Russia: problems of statehood in the Balkans (late 18th – 21st centuries). Moscow: Institute of Slavic Studies of the RAS, 2020. p. 170-184. (In Russ.).

10. Parkhomenko D.V. The Austro-Serbian Treaty of 1881: slavery or modernization? Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra RAN. 2008;10(4):1013-1017. (In Russ.).

11. Chakhotin S. Russian seasonal trades in Serbia. Report of the consul in Niš. In: Collection of Consular Reports for 1898. Issue III. St. Petersburg: Tovarishchestvo Khudozhestvennoy pechati, 1898. p. 229-230. (In Russ.).

12. Shemyakin A.L. The ideology of Nikola Pašić. Formation and evolution (1868–1891). Moscow: Indrik, 1998. 444 p. (In Russ.).

13. Yasi O. The disintegration of the Habsburg Monarchy. Moscow: Tri kvadrata, 2011. 608 p. (In Russ.).

14. Jovanović S. Vlada Aleksandra Obrenovića. Knjiga prva (1889–1897). Beograd: Kon, 1929. 424 p.

15. Krjuchkov I. Srbija i ugarski Srbi u izveštajima Generalnog konzulata Rusije u Budimpešti na početku 20. veka (1901–1909). Takovi istorije. 2017;(3):11-33.

16. Palare M. Balkanske privrede oko 1800 do 1914 godine: evolucija bez razvoja. Beograd: Ekonomska edicija, 2010. 493 p.

17. Castellan G. History of Balkan From Mohammed the Conqueror to Stalin. New York: East European Monographs, 1992. 500 p.

18. Deuerlein E. Federalismus. Die historischen und philosophischen Grundlagen des foederativen Prinzips. Bonn: List, 1972. 419 p.

19. Ković M. Austria-Hungary's "Civilizing Mission" in the Balkans. A View from Belgrade (1903–1914). Balcanica. 2017;(1):107-122.

20. Seton Watson R.W. Sarajevo: A Study into the Origins of the Great War. London: [s.n.], 1925. 303 p.