Is án Bu ián and he Se ling o he Polish Issue
du ing he Fi s Wo ld Wa
zol án Te ne
In he second wa yea , a he end o 1915 he whole Polish Mona chy, mo e commonly
known as Russian Poland, he Russian public adminis a ion in he egion called Vis-
ula Go e nmen , was en i ely occupied by he Cen al Powe s. On 5 h o Augus , 1915
he Ge man oops ma ched in Wa saw. A ha ime he Polish Mona chy had been
he pa o he Russian Empi e o 110 yea s since he las pa i ion o Poland which
happened in 1795. The wa ic o ies— mainly won by he Ge mans— c ea ed new
si ua ion o he Polish socie y which li ed in ha a ea, bu also mean di icul and
in many espec s, unsol able asks o he ic o ious powe s. They had some hing
o do wi h he land hey occupied and also wi h he inhabi an s ha li ed he e. The
Polish had bloody and agic igh s agains hei opp esso s in 1831 and 1863 and hey
los bo h, bu hey ne e ga e up he hope o he eunion o he coun y. The Hunga -
ian his o ian, László Tapolcai when analysing he cha ac e is ics o a o ally di e en
and a in he u u e s a us, sugges s ha “I each o he o ces o acoun y ‘o e p oduces’
i sel , i can occu ha he di e en g oups secede om he communi y and look o anew
homeland and a e hey ha e won he a ou o he local o ces can c ea e anew coun y,
al hough i is e y much simila o hei p e ious one, i will also g ow wi h he cha ac e -
is ics o he gi en new place. This ‘o e p oduc ion’ lead o he mig a ion o he Hunga ians
om Scy hia and o he Hunga ian Conques and also his o e powe made he pa icula
Sla ic na ions o lea e Pannonia which hey had conside ed hei homeland un il ha o
along ime.”1
Wi h he sen ences abo e he au ho e e s o he ci cums ances o he 8 h and 9 h
cen u y which we e he age o he Vislans, Lęndzians, Polans, when he Polish na ion
exis ed only a he s a e o he ibes. Bu he apa mig a ion didn’ occu in he cen-
u ies o he ea ly middle ages bu jus he opposi e happened: Polish Kingdom came
in o being. Well, he si ua ion hasn’ changed du ing he cen u ies. The ill- amed “an-
a chy” o he 17 h–18 h cen u y which “upheld”2 he g ea Polish-Li huanian Empi e
lead o an “apa mig a ion” indeed, bu i wasn’ owed o he Polish bu o he G ea
1 L. TAPOLCAI, His o ical and My hical S a o Poland: Changing o Space, Budapes 2010,
pp.75–76.
2 É. RING, “Is Poland Kep up by Ana chy?”: The Ana omy o he C ises o he A is oc a ic Repub-
lic, Budapes 2001.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 83
Powe s which subdi ided i . I las ed un il he 19 h cen u y, when he na ion s a es
came in o exis ence and he mys ic heo y o he desi e o eunion became he main
mo i e powe .
The poli icians o he Fi s Wo ld Wa inhe i ed his mys icism. This sup a-sensi-
bili y, he di ec ela ionship wi h he supe na u al powe s in he na ional sen imen
ealized in he Roman Ca holic eligion. The Ca holicism was mo e han a eligion in
he Polish minds. I was he las asylum, he “lai ”,3 om which Poland could esu -
ec . A e he Augus o 1914 he Polish mys icism bumped in o wall o G ea Powe s’
in e es s. In Augus 1914, he plans which would ha e liked o igu e ou he u u e o
Poland du ing he ou yea s o he wa we e eady in di e en o ms. The mos well-
known, he Aus opolonism e y o en eme ged du ing he o eign policy c ises o
he 19 h cen u y and in he second pa o 1914 i seemed almos he only al e na i e.
The Ge man o eign policy didn’ hinde he ealiza ion o he plan which had been
conside ed e y na u al o along ime: he Russian-Polish e i o ies— a e he
de ea o Russia— would be possessed by he Mona chy. Russian Poland would join
o he Aus ian p o ince, and no ice e sa.
PLANS FOR SETTLING THE POLISH ISSUE IN THE FIRST PART OF THE WAR
When he wa began Leopold on Be ch old was he common Minis e o Fo eign A -
ai s. In he i s weeks, he Ge mans didn’ gi e any s a emen s abou he speci ied
e i o ies o be conque ed as awa goal. Howe e , he on line an on he Polish
e ain only he conques o he Polish Kingdom was he possible o calcula e wi h.
La e i seemed a leas ha he Ge man Go e nmen had no objec ion agains he
aus opolonis , le ’s say: “Aus o-Polish solu ion. S ill i was i i a ing o he leade s o
he Mona chy he way how he Ge man diploma s— p ima ily Ambassado Hein ich on
Tschi schky4 acc edi ed o Vienna— made s a emen s as hey we e appa en ly ag eed, bu
in ac we en’ e y de e mined abou his ques ion. The mili a y nego ia ion had implied
since 1914 ha he e was adisag eemen be ween he wo allies how hey would se le he
Polish issue. I was e iden ha he Mona chy could do no hing signi ican in connec ion
wi h he Polish issue wi hou he allied Ge many. The ep esen a i es o he Aus ian diplo-
macy conce ned abou signs which e e ed o he ac ha he allied high command ac s
we e con a y o he in e es o Aus ia and Hunga y […]”.5
The Aus ian-Polish se ling would ha e caused o e la ge g ow h o he land o
he bene i o he Mona chy, and geopoli ical asymme y as well, wha mo e he es-
sen ial elemen o he plan con ained ha he occupied Russian-Poland would ha e
joined he Aus ian p o ince, Galicia and no ice e sa. Be ch old claimed o much:
3 Abou he Polish mys icism, see: W. FELDMAN, Geschich e de poli ischen Ideen in Polen sei
dessen Teilungen (1795–1914), München-Be lin 1917.
4 Tschi schky, Hein ich on Bögendo (1858–1916), aSaxon o igin Ge man diploma , in
1885–1886. The pe sonal Sec e a y o He be on Bisma ck, in 1906 S a e Sec e a y o
Fo eign A ai s, om 1907 un il his dea h Ambassado o Vienna.
5 K. SZOKOLAY, The Polish Policy o he Aus ian-Hunga ian Go e nmen du ing he Fi s Wo ld
Wa , Budapes 1967, p.20.
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84 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
he cha ged as ea ly as Augus he Be lin Ambassado László Szögyény-Ma ich6 o
s i e o achie e ha he Ge mans would pass o e hose a eas o he Aus o-Hun-
ga ian public adminis a ion which we e going o be occupied by he Ge man a my.7
While he o de ed o wo k ou aplan which was abou land acquisi ion on “No h-
Eas ”— p ejudicial o Russia. While i wasn’ allowed o speak abou he land acqui-
si ion need o he Cen al Powe s in public, he p ess was s ic ly held and hey we e
only allowed o w i e abou de ensi e wa . Al hough almos e e y chap e o his
chunky manusc ip was abou he opic o “Angliede ung”, inclusion.8 I ma ks h ee
“modali ies”. The i s one when whole Poland is added o he Mona chy— s ongly
emphasized he o m how i is going o be ealized should be decided in he u u e.
The second one is he pa i ion o Poland be ween he wo allies, hi d is he “Pu e -
s aa ”, he plan o he Polish-Li huanian-Bela usian-Ku land bu e s a e.9
Be ch old ega ded impo an o begin he o ganiza ion o Poland be o e Russia
sus ains a inal de ea on he Eas e n on . This s a e soon occu ed.10 The mili a y
de ensi e o he cen al powe s s a ed a he end o 1914 was ollowed by un o luck
om he sp ing o 1915. On he second o May, he Ge man and he Aus ian-Hunga -
ian oops b oke h ough he Russian on line a Go lice, nea Ta nów, and in h ee
s ages hey eached he Ta nopol-Pinszk-Riga line.11 On he 5 h o Augus he Ge man
a my ma ched in Wa saw. This was he beginning when he going h ough he mill
o he Aus ian-Hunga ian diplomacy abou he Polish issue eally go s a ed. A he
session o he Common Cabine on he 6 h o No embe 1915, he issue ha he e was
some hing o be done wi h he Polish eme ged u gen ly: “The acquisi ion o Poland
wasn’ amili a y goal, he e o e he delibe a ion mus n’ pu i s need o ca e in he shade,
since i is also he aim o he wa o secu e he Mona chy agains he epe i ion o such o en-
si e o which i is he ic im now.”12
The o ganiza ion o he public adminis a ion in he conque ed e i o ies made
he i s signi ican p oblem. The science o wa had applied o his di icul y he
es ablishmen o “s a oc acy” o along ime. Since he s a e o wa s ill exis ed
agains Russia, he ea pa , ha is Poland migh ha e no been pu immedia ely un-
de ci il adminis a ion. Wa needs esupply, oad ne wo k, sa e y o ailway lines,
6 Ea l Lászlo Szögyény-Ma ich (1840–1916), an Aus ian-Hunga ian diploma , head o he
depa men in he common Minis y o Fo eign A ai s, and 1894–1914 he Ambassado o
Be lin o he Mona chy.
7 Haus-, Ho - und S aa sa chi , Poli isches A chi [hence o wa d HHS A P. A.], Wien.
K ieg8 a/k. 25. Be ch old Szögyény-Ma ichnak, Augus , 1914.
8 HHS A P. A. Wien. K ieg 8 a/k. 25. Die F age ös e eichischen Gebie se we bes im No -
dos en im Falle eines glücklichen K ieges de Zen almäch e gegen Rußland. Wien, Ende
Augus 1914.
9 Ibidem.
10 SZOKOLAY, p.21.
11 J. GALÁNTAI, The Fi s Wo ld Wa , Budapes 1988, pp.255–256.
12 „Die E we bung Polens sei nich K iegsziel gewesen, die So ge um sein Schicksal dü e dahe auch
nich die E wägung in den Hin e g und d ängen, dass de Zweck dieses K ieges o allem da in
gelegen sei, die Mona chie o eine Wiede holung solche Ang i e on außen zu siche n, de en
sie Op e gegenwä ig sei.“ M. KOMJÁTHY (Ed.), P o okolle des Gemeinsamen Minis e a es de
Ös e eichisch-Unga ischen Mona chie (1914–1918), Budapes 1966, p.304.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 85
and no leas calmness: he libe a ed Polish people had o be loyal o he a mies on he
on line.13 The Ge man and he Aus o-Hunga ian “Gene al Mili a y Go e nmen s”
(as hey we e called a ha ime: “Gene al-Mili ä gou e nemen ”) we e es ablished.
The coun y was di ided in o wo pa s, one o hem was he No he n Ge man wi h
Wa saw headqua e s, and he o he was he Sou he n Aus ian-Hunga ian i s wi h
Kielce headqua e which la e changed and Lublin became he new headqua e .14
Fu u e Poland mean he eal p oblem, whe e would be i s bo de s, i i
would ha e an independen Polish o eign policy, Polish a my, wha could be he
o m o go e nmen and he e we e lo o o he open ques ions o which he an-
swe s we e depended on he achie emen s o he wa goals. Necessa ily he igh ing
powe s always a ge o non-bu ic o y, so he answe always could be ound in he
ca ego y o “conques ”. I is ue ha , o example, he Mona chy openly p oclaimed
ha i had no need o he g ow h o i s e i o y, bu he se ling o he Polish issue
would jus ha e been he p oo o he opposi e as he Mona chy would ha e won 155
housand squa e me e s as a esul o annexa ion o Poland o Galicia.
Besides he Aus ian-Polish solu ion he e we e coun less o he s he mos impo -
an among hem was he “Ge mano-Polonis ”15 and he “Russian-Polish”. The i s case
had he bigges chance o ealiza ion du ing he wa : Ge mans ake o e he con-
que ed e i o ies by o ce and o ganise sa elli e s a e om hem. The ew numbe o
Polish suppo e s o he concep assumed ha because o he ou numbe o Ge many
i was able o hold h ee enemy o du ing he wa .16 The o he is he plan o Roman
Dmowski,17 he ep esen a i e o he council o Sain Pe e sbu g: s ay in Russia— he
Russian powe is he bes gua an ee o he Polish na ional e olu ion— Ge many is
he des oye o Poland. The ideas o Dmowski we e o igina ed om he idea o na-
ional democ acy and p o ec ion o he na ion. He belie ed as ea ly as he end o 1914
ha while Aus ians didn’ ca e abou Polish people’s li e, o ganise legions om hem,
hese people’s li e a e “p o ec ed” by he Russian commande s. Dmowski’s chances
didn’ s and oo long: when Russia qui he wa a he end o 1917 Dmowski passi ely
(“ ealis ically”) hoped ha he En en e would es ablish he Polish Republic.18
The essence o he hings is hiding in he de ails: all he a angemen plans disag-
g ega ed o “di e en shadows” acco ding o he di e en ways how he ealiza ion
was going o be done. The e we e dozens o ealiza ion plans ci cula ing. I was al-
13 H. SCHAPP, Die En s ehung des polnischen König eiches am 15. No embe 1916: Einmi -
eleu opäisches P oblem, Be lin 1940. Ensu e o he supply a ea, es o emen he damages
caused by he Russians, supply, p.46.
14 L. GROSFELD, Poli yka pańs w cen alnych wobec sp awy polskiej w la ach pie wsze jwojny świ-
a owej, Wa szawa 1962, p.27.
15 SCHAPP, pp.67–68.
16 „Deu schland besi z ein be ech igs es g osses K a ge ühl, und dieses Bewuss sein seine K ä e
wi d sich nach einem sieg eichen Kamp e an d ei F on en noch e höhen.“ W. R. GIZBERT-STUD-
NICKI, Die Umges al ung Mi el-Eu opa’s du ch den gegenwä igen K ieg: Die Polen age in ih -
e in e na ionalen Bedeu ung, Wien 1918, pp.20–21.
17 R. Dmowski (1864–1939): Polish poli ician, publicis , he ounde “Endecja”, he Polish
Democ a ic Pa y. F om 1905 pa icipa ed in he wo k o Russian Impe ial Pa liamen ,
Duma. In 1923 minis e o o eign a ai s o Poland.
18 K. LÖFFLER, Polen und die polnische F age, Hamm 1917, p.30.
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86 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
eady he Aus ian-Polish solu ion which di ided he Hunga ian poli ical eli e in o
wo pa s. Is án Tisza, Hunga ian P ime Minis e , chai man o he Na ional Labou
Pa y in en ly made he case o he, so called, “sub dualis solu ion”, while his Pa lia-
men opposi ion, Gyula And ássy junio , leade o he Cons i u ion Pa y p opaga ed
in he p ess and also in he Hunga ian Pa liamen he “ elease” o Poland, hus he
ealiza ion o he iple s a e o ma ion. The i s one, he pan o Tisza was e y sim-
ila o he si ua ion o he C oa ia wi hin he Mona chy, wi h he only di e ence ha
C oa ia was in eg a ed in Hunga y while Poland— acco ding o Tisza’s idea— should
ha e belonged o he Cislei han p o inces, o , in e u n o some compensa ions, i
should ha e gi en o he Ge mans which would ha e mean he “absolu e economic
dependency” o he coun y.19
Tisza con inued his in en s uggle o he p o ec ion o he sys em o Dualism.
The ma e ial o he deba e on he abo e-men ioned Oc obe 6 h session was made
up by he Aus ian P ime Minis e , S ü gkh; be o e he session he pa icipan s go
S ü gkh’s bulky scheme abou he me hod o se ling he Polish issue. The documen
inspi ed he iple s a e o ma ion.20 Tisza opposed he iple s a e o ma ion ea lie
and now oo. He judged i ill-concei ed, because he was awa e o he ac ha he Pol-
ish conside ed he iple s a e o ma ion empo a y, and hei inal goal is o es o e
he uni y o he na ion by all means. “The ue aim o e e y Polish people— said Tisza in
his pa liamen a y speech— is a o ally independen Poland, and in such iple s a e o ma-
ion whe e he Polish s a e would ge he same igh s han Aus ia and Hunga y would only
ole a e i o wan o be e . Howe e , i is he high ime o le hem know ha he dualis
sys em o he Mona chy is anoli me ange e!, and all he newly acqui ed lands should be
inse ed in he e i o y o he one o he o he s a e.”21
BURIÁN’S WAY TO THE TOP OF HIS OFFICIAL CAREER
Is án Bu ián, he common Fo eign Minis e o he Mona chy eached he mos im-
po an s age o his li e in 1915 when he ook his posi ion a Ballhauspla z, a he bu-
eau o Me e nich. The imes sligh ly had changed since he end o he 19 h cen u y.
The posi ion o alega e, ambassado o pe haps ahighe pos in one o he ins i u es o
Vienna could only be he posi ion o dukes, coun s o a he wo s case he ba ons s ill
in he 1890s. Gen ies could ge lowe posi ions o he low-p es ige posi ion o acon-
19 “[…] że Polska musi być bezwa unkowo opanowana gospoda cza p zez Niemcy.” GROSFELD,
p.289.
20 J. ŽUPANIČ, S ü gkhů plán: Přispě ek kdějinám Rakousko-Uhe skémona chie za p ní s ě o é
álky, in: Poc a docen u Vladimí u Nale ko i, Ac a Uni e si a is Ca olinae, Philosophia e
his o ica 2, S udia his o ica II, P aha 1998, pp.117–122.
21 „Das eigen liche Ziel eines jeden Polen is das ganz unabhängige König eich und selbs eine ial-
is ische Ausges al ung de Mona chie, bei welche de polnische S aa dieselben Rech e, wie Ös-
e eich und Unga n e hal en wü de, wi d on ihnen gewisse massen als pis-alle be ach e und
gedulde . Dem gegenübe is es höchs e Zei ihnen zu wissen zu geben, dass die dualis ische S uk-
u de Mona chie ein noli me ange e bilde und ein jedes neu e wo bene Te i o ium in den Rah-
men des einen ode des ande en S aa es einge üg we den müsse.“ KOMJÁTHY, p.312.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 87
sul could be eached by hem. The e we e also some excep ions in hose mode n imes.
Is án Ug on om Mezőzáh, T ansyl ania could be conside ed o be such an exam-
ple, as he jus in connec ion wi h he Polish issue, ose abo e he a e age when ep e-
sen ed he Mona chy in he Ge man Gene al Go e nmen in Wa saw. Bu o be acom-
mon Fo eign Minis e i needed alucky cons ella ion o s a s s ill in he 20 h cen u y.
Bu ián g adua ed a he Eas e n Academy in Vienna22 wi h summa cum laude e-
sul , wi h as ong heo e ical knowledge. He go his s ep up he ladde in he diplo-
ma ic ca ee .23 Thanks o his excellen skills he could ha e al eady se ed as alega e
a less impo an places (So ia, S u ga , A hens).24 Bu he eal b eak h ough came
abou when in 1903, a e he dea h o Béni Kállay, he was chosen o he posi ion o
he common Minis e o Finance. The common Minis y o Finance didn’ gi e him
much possibili y o ha e his oice in he o eign a ai s— as he e wasn’ oo much
need o i du ing he o eign policy o Gołuchowski which based on s a us quo— bu
Bu ián go some yea s om his a e when he could obse e he g ea -powe policy
no om a emo e place bu om a“highe posi ion” in Vienna. The agic auma:
he was elie ed in Feb ua y 1912. Then jus in ew mon hs he wa es ook him back-
wa ds. This g ea and decisi e change was caused by his iend, Is án Tisza. Tisza
became once again he P ime Minis e when Bu ián is unemployed and Tisza selec ed
him o pos o aMinis e “whose esponsibili y was o be a ound he King”. Tisza’s
choice wasn’ by chance. Du ing he in e nal poli ical s uggles Tisza had d i ed
away om he mains eams o he wo ld poli ics, and was as ange in he laby in h
o he in e na ional issues, and in June 1915 he needed someone he could us in and
a he same ime keeps an eye on he in e na ional diplomacy.
A he beginning, he us wo hily ollowed he ad ices o Bu ián. Is án Diószegi
w i es in his s udy abou Bu ián and says ha he in luence o Bu ián could be ecog-
nised behind Tisza’s an i-wa a i ude in July 1914. “The his o iog aphy o wa has been
ying o i y yea s— says he s udy— o ciphe ou he mys e y o he an i-wa a i ude
[o Tisza— T. Z.]. Among he easons as a eal o p esumed elemen he disco e ed bo h he
Hunga ocen ic a i ude and he excellen ac ical abili y o Tisza, bu behind he igu e o
he P ime Minis e he ne e ecognised he pe son who was a ound he majes y. He didn’
ecognise he pe son who inspi ed he P ime Minis e o he ag eemen wi h Russia by he
equen exchange o le e s.”25
As he ime passed he ha mony o he ela ionship be ween he p incipal and he
ad ise changed sligh ly. A he beginning o Oc obe , when he abo e-men ioned
session o he Cabine was held o se le he Polish issue he absolu e ha mony could
no be seen. The disag eemen s can be explained by wo impo an ac s. One o hem
is ha he e was di e ence be ween being aminis e in he Cabine o Budapes and
22 K. k. O ien alische Akademie, Wien.
23 T. GORECZKY, Bu ián Is án, aHunga ian Diploma Se ing he Aus o-Hunga ian Mona chy,
PhD Thesis a he Pé e Pázmány Ca holic Uni e si y, Piliscsaba 2010. h ps://b k.ppke.hu/
phd/ o enelem udomany/go eczky_ amas/ ezis_hu.pd , [ci . 2016-05-13].
24 h ps://hu.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Bu i%C3%A1n_Is %C3%A1n_%28poli ikus%29, [ci . 2016-
04-27].
25 I. DIÓSZEGI, Aballhauspla zi palo a u olsó gazdája, in: Hazánk és Eu ópa, Budapes 1970,
p.214.
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88 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
o go e n he o eign policy o aEu opean G ea Powe . I is a e y complica ed ask
o ind common g ound o bo h he impe ial and na ional in e es , especially in an
Empi e whe e he e a e ac ious e hnici ies, and we also ha e o lay down objec i ely
ha i is no he business o acommon minis e o o eign policy, who makes ou his
app op ia e decisions om he s ings o he ab ic o he Empi e. The o he eason
is pe sonal; we can say i is he ques ion o habi ude. I can be ound in Bu ián doc i-
na ian habi ude. The wo d doc ina ian is used o ape son who insis s o abs ac
and scholas ic p inciples. Acco ding o se e al co- empo a y opinions: Is án Bu ián
was his ype o pe son. I is no good i someone eads e y ew books and also i he
eads oo many. Bu ián go eno mous amoun o knowledge a he Eas e n Academy,
also had p incipals he wan ed o apply a ap ope ime, dis ega ding i eal li e an-
nulled o didn’ accep his measu es. Howe e , he much knowledge is no he only
poin in connec ion wi h his doc ina ianism. We ha e agood eason o say ha a he
case o Bu ian i was he ques ion o habi ude.
Since in Janua y 1915, a e Tisza had o e h own Be ch old a he end o Decem-
be , 1914, he e was no doub ha Bu ián would ge he pos o he common o eign
minis e .26 A he s a o he wa unde di icul ci cums ances i (s ill) wasn’ he
Polish issue which caused he bigges in iguing ques ion o he poli icians o he
Mona chy. In he long un Be ch old also ell because o he I alian policy, namely
because o he c ises caused by he hando e o T en ino. The aims o he manoeu-
es di ec ed by Be ch old we e o keep I aly apa om he wa . I aly asked high
p ice o i s neu ali y: he hando e o T en ino which had been he p ope y o he
Habsbu g dynas y since he ancien imes. Be ch old showed in en ion o do his ba -
gain, ac ually he was led by good in en ions as he didn’ wan o inc ease he enemies
o he Mona chy wi h new ones, bu he showed weakness wi h his pe missi eness
in he eye o he wo ld, because in wa ime he public li e ole a e pe missi eness
in no way. He ell. I was also adelica e diploma ic ma e o win he neu al Bulga ia
as an ally o o m acoun e balance agains Rumania which h ea ened Se bia and
T ansyl ania. Mo eo e , a he beginning o Bu ián’s ca ee — in he i s yea s o
1990— Bulga ia mean o him he key o he si ua ion, and a he beginning o his
i s pe iod as he minis e o o eign a ai s, since Ma ch, 1915 his ques ion came
in o iew again in e y closed connec ion wi h he h ee o he : Polish, I alian and Ru-
manian. Besides hese, a e 1914, he Ge mans also wan ed ha he accession o Bul-
ga ia would mean ab idge be ween he Cen al Powe s and Tu key. The doc ina i-
anism o Bu ián was ha he o ce o un eachable aims in hese cases was success ul.
THE DEFEATED AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN ARMY:
THE WRONGLY HANDLED POLISH ISSUE
I we s udy wha happened be ween 13 h Janua y 1915 and 22nd Decembe 1916 while
Bu ián spen his i s pe iod in his posi ion as aminis e o o eign a ai s, we can
no ice wo main ea u es o his o icial ca ee . One o hem is aglobal ype o na u e:
g adual de e io a ion o he ela ionship wi h Ge many. The o he one is he de e io-
26 Took up his o ice on Janua y 13, 1915.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 89
a ion o he pe sonal ela ionship wi h he Hunga ian poli ical eli e, p ima ily wi h
Tisza. In poin o ac he couldn’ do abou any o hem, since he di ec ion o he big
s eamlines o he his o y mos ly independen om he pe sonal ideas and decisions
o he poli icians, i a he ollows acomplica ed logical— o measu ed by human
s anda ds: i a ional— mechanism. The o eign policy should know hese mecha-
nism, and should make decisions se ing ou om he ecogni ion o hese mecha-
nism. In he case o Polish issue Bu ián did jus he opposi e.
A he beginning o 1915 Bu ián passi ely obse ed he wa e en s. In his o eign
poli ical ac i i y o e came his mos c i icisable s andpoin . His iewpoin was ha
in wa ime he passi e diploma ic a i ude is necessa y: diplomacy is depend on he
de elopmen o he mili a y ci cums ances, and ic o ies c ea e possibili ies o di-
plomacy o ake he ad an age o i . The people in his su ounding, he whole appa a
o Ballhauspla z, János Fo gách his i s o m mas e o , a he beginning, also he dip-
loma , Leopold on Ad ian27 a he Ge man Gene al Go e nmen in Wa saw wa ned
him ha an ac i e diplomacy would be necessa y no only in he Polish bu also in
o he e i o ies, because he cou se o hings wen beyond he desi able measu es.
In spi e o his hey didn’ succeed in dissuading Bu ián om he ole o ape son who
jus “obse es” and goes a e he e en s.
Howe e , he was igh ha he wa ic o ies o 1915 we e eally su p ising. The
Polish mo emen s o uni e he na ion go in o he ocus o public a en ion in he
Mona chy. The leading ci cles o he Aus ian la ge-scale indus y coun ed wi h
he new e i o ies o ake ad an age o , especially wi h ega d o he ossil ene gy
sou ces, p ima ily o he coal-basin o Dąb owa, o which he k. u. k. a my had ades-
pe a e need o con inue he wa (ce ainly he Ge mans hough he same). The Na-
ional Main Commi ee was o med in Sep embe 1914, in K akow,28 “The Polenklub”,
he Polish g oup o ep esen a i es o Vienna s a ed o u ge he go e no s o he
o eign policy, ac ually he Kaise himsel o make aclea s a emen abou he a -
angemen me hod and elease akind o mani es o. And wha hadn’ e e happened
since 1867: he session o he Polish Club was apublic p ess e en in Augus 1915.
The o eign a ai s leade s’ eac ion o hese e en s showed he signs o delay:
o a oid e e y unambiguous p omise. Tisza himsel wen on epea ing his poin and
heads ongly kep con inuing du ing he wa : we mus n’ p omise any hing which
would mean he commi men o Mona chy o he Polish: we mus n’ do any hing
which would ha e ou hands ied. Hunga y mus ge acompensa ion i Poland would
be annexed o Aus ian p o inces, o Cislei han.29 In eali y poli icians mus n’ ha e
27 Leopold on And ian-We bu g, Ba on (1875–1951). Adiploma who came om aSwiss o -
igin Aus ian amily. Besides his ac i i y as Minis e o Fo eign A ai s, he deal wi h li e -
a u e.
28 Among he leade s o he Naczelny Komi e Na odowy, Władysław Jawo ski, Julius Leo
and Leon Biliński, he membe s la e became amous, like Władysław Siko ski.
29 All wo ks o Ea l Is án Tisza, Vol. 5, Budapes 1933. Tisza’s le e o Bu ián (Ma ch 1, 1916).
“[…] he Hunga ian go e nmen wouldn’ ag ee in he annexa ion o he Polish e i o ies o Aus-
ia un il i hasn’ go agua an ee o asha e in he economic ad an ages a leas he expenses o
he wa , secondly he e i o ial issues will be sol ed which opposi e he signi ican g ow h o Aus-
ia gi e a leas some compensa ion o Hunga y.” p.58.
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90 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
men ioned hese Hunga ian claims, he main obs acle o i was he Ge mans, mo e
accu a ely he “Ge man sensi i i y”. In addi ion, ha Bu ián expec ed he oppo uni-
ies o diplomacy om he successes o wa , he was unde he necessi y o lis ening
o he news coming om Ge many and was clea ly abou ha he Ge mans we e no
willing o hea he news o Vienna abou he o ging o Aus o-Polonis head. The
his o ian-jou nalis , he Polish Joseph Feldman, who ac ed as esiden o he Na ional
Main Commi ee in Be lin in 1915, olled al eady he dea h knell, when he wa ned he
small g oup in K akow lead by Władysław Jawo ski, ha compe en Russian ci cles
objec ed agains he Aus o-Polonis eo ganiza ion. I mus n’ happen— was he
wa ning o Feldman, quo ing he P ussian ema ks.30 The egal applica ion o he
Polish Club wasn’ eleased ei he . Al hough he p ess go o know o i he censo ship
didn’ allow he p ess o w i e abou i .
The mili a y de ea s a he end o 1914 p o ed ha he a my o he Mona chy
and especially he leade ship o i , o pu i mildly, didn’ measu e up o i s ask.
The se ies o he ic o ies in he sp ing and summe was due o he Ge mans. In
his si ua ion Bu ián could only do one hing: o see clea ly he eal in en ion o
he Ge mans in connec ion wi h he se lemen o Polish issue. A e Wa saw, had
go in o he hands o he Ge mans, Bu ián a elled o Be lin ha ing achie ed no h-
ing. A he nego ia ions o Augus 13 h— i could be cla i ied om he memoi s o
Bu ián— he Ge man chancello was imming. I wasn’ impossible ha Poland
would be annexed o Aus ia, bu also possible ha i wouldn’ , because i would
a he be annexed o Ge many.31 Though i would be annexed by Aus ia, hen Ge -
many mus ge acompensa ion and abo de e ision should be done (he hough o
he coal basin o Dąb owa oge he wi h o he zones).Then a he end he b ough up
an o he wise eally weigh y a gumen ha in case o he in eg a ion o Poland o
Aus ia a“Sla ic dominance” would come in o exis ence in Cislei han, and i would
jeopa dise he hegemony o he Aus ian Ge mans ( he all- ime Ge man go e nmen
ook he esponsibili y o he a e o all Ge mans o he wo ld, on he basis o he
ideology o he “ci ilized na ion”).
The mili a y leade ship— om bo h pa — almos wen on hei own way. The
nego ia ions abou he occupied a eas and he ma e o he wo Gene al Go e n-
men s s a ed on he 9 h o Janua y 1915 and on he 1s o Oc obe hey s a ed o exis .
A his ime he na ow limi s diplomacy o he Mona chy con inued in he ela ion
o Wa saw and Vienna. Leopold on Ad ian, la e Is án Ug on32 ep esen ed he Ball-
hauspla z in Wa saw in he posi ion o alega e. Howe e , he diploma ic ela ionship
also emained wi h he neu als (S ockholm, Be n, Copenhagen e c.), and in Be lin a
Wilhelms asse, a he Kaise P ince Go ied on Hohenlohe ep esen ed he Mon-
30 SZOKOLAY, p.44.
31 Ibidem, p.51.
32 Is án Ug on o Áb án al a (1862–1948?), was bo n in he T ansyl anian Mezőzáh in an
old Szekle “p imo ” amily. A e inishing he Eas e n Academy spen long yea s in con-
sula se ice (New Yo k, Ti lis, Wa saw, Bucha es ), hen “en e ed” o diplomacy, in 1913
he is al eady he lega e in Belg ade. Some o his biog aphe s men ioned ha he spoke 13
languages. Abou his diploma ic ca ee see: Z. TEFNER, Is án Ug on and he Ge man Fo -
eign Policy in Ap il— May 1918, in: Századok, Vol. 145, Is. 6, 2011.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 97
Apologe ic esponse: he has done e e y hing o p o ec he homeland. “How can
you imagine ha I ill mysel in wi h such hings in amomen when, as you you sel so keenly
emphasize, we a e abou o he escue he Mona chy and ou homeland?”57 He ea u es
his measu es ha agains Rumania ha calmness was always gage and he s i es o
main ain he calmness also in his e y momen . He conside ed one o his mos im-
po an measu es ha he o wa ded he eques o Con ad on Hö zendo Gene al
S a chie o he add ess o Be hmann-Hollweg abou necessa y Ge man e-en o ce
in T ansyl ania. “He answe ed e y accommoda ingly and ha he would do e e y hing
ha possible. Anyway, he Ge mans eel he se iousness o he momen and s eng hen hei
e o s acco ding o his. They insu ed i clea ly ha Ge many would immedia ely p oclaim
awa o Rumania, i i a acked us and wha mo e also i we wished i .”58 Calmness and
he Ge man poli eness wo h e y li le, Rumanians was hinking di e en ly, which
wasn’ ecognised p ope ly nei he a he Ballhauspla z no a he mili a y in elligen
se ice: on 17 h Augus hey joined En en e in asec e ag eemen in Bucha es; on 27 h
hey handed o e he p oclama ion in Vienna and a he nigh o he same day he
Rumanian oops o e s epped he en i ely ungua ded Ca pa hian moun ain passes.
The chaos in Székely and Szász lands g ew eno mously; some 200 housand e ugees
o e lowed he inne coun ies.59
THE CZERNIN PERIOD: CHANGE OF DIRECTION IN THE AUSTRIAN-
HUNGARIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND THE GERMAN ARROGANCE
On No embe 21, 1916, he old mona ch Józse Fe enc he Fi s died. Ka l, he new Kai-
se displaced he whole leade ship. Colonel Gene al A z60 became he chie o gen-
e al s a , and om Decembe 22, 1916, O oca Cze nin who jus had e u ned om
he posi ion o Bucha es lega e61 became he minis e o o eign a ai s. Tisza was
also displaced in Ap il 1917. The o eign policy o he Mona chy he so called “Bel-
ede e-wo kshop” go in o powe , ha g oup which poli icised in he spi i o ial-
ism, an i-democ acy, an i-cle icalism and an i-Hunga ian ac i i y.62 The “G oßös e -
eich-g oup” led by F anz Fe dinand was exis ing in he Bel ede e Palace in Vienna,
planned a adical change, and wouldn’ ha e sh unk back om iolence ei he o
57 Ibidem, p.248.
58 Ibidem, p.249.
59 Z. SZÁSZ, Rumania’s A emp o Occupy T ansyl ania, in: Z. SZÁSZ (Ed.), His o y o T ansyl-
ania: F om 1830 un il Today, Vol. 3, Budapes 1987, pp.1694–1695.
60 A hu F eihe A z on S ausssenbu g (1857–1935), T ansyl anian o igin Hunga ian o -
ice , K. und k. Colonel Gene al.
61 O oka Cze nin on und zu Chudeni z, Ea l (1872–1932), om aCzech a is oc a ic am-
ily om 1913 Ambassado in Bucha es . As amembe o he Bel ede e-g oup hallma ked
by F anz Fe dinand exis ed as he ad ise o he c own-p ince.
62 L. GULYÁS, Küzdelem aKá pá -medencéé . Regionalizáció és e no egionalizmus, a agy
anemze i és nemze iségi ké dés e üle i aspek usai Magya o szágon 1690–1914, Budapes 2012,
p.138. Mo e de ails see L. GULYÁS, Az Osz ák-Magya Mona chia e no egionalis a á sze-
ezésének e eze e. Au él Popo ici e e 1906, in: Majo os Is án ősze k: Hábo úk, békék, e -
o is ák. Székely Gábo 70 é es, Budapes 2012, pp.239–246.
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98 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
he sake o he “ e o m” o he empi e.63 I suppo ed mainly he ialis plan o he
Czechs, which was o e h own by he Hunga ian libe al-conse a i es. His amily
ela ions ied him o Bohemia: his wi e Zsó ia Cho ek bo n in aCzech a is oc a ic
amily, and he C own p ince was mainly s aying in Bohemia as well.64 Bu C oa ian
and Polish ialism also could be ound among he plans o he Bel ede e-g oup.65
The plans we e di ec he opposi e o Tisza’s opinion, and Bu ián, al hough his ela-
ionship wi h Tisza in cou se o ime go lose, he wasn’ able o absolu ely cu ou his
Hunga ian habi as aminis e o o eign a ai s ei he .
Bu ián, be o e his displacemen , had he chance o be pa o a ema kable dip-
loma ic success, namely he announcemen o he p oclama ion o No embe 5.
Howe e , his decla a ion add essed o he en i e Polish na ion mos ly ealised as
he wo kmanship o he Ge mans, bu in ac he Aus ian-Hunga ian diplomacy
also had apa in i . On Oc obe 18 Bu ián ook pa in he mee ing a he Ge man
headqua e s in Pless, whe e he uni ed poli ical and mili a y leade ship decided
o elease decla a ion and he o ma ion o he Polish a my on a“ olun a y basis”
(which hey pu unde hei leade ship). The o en quo ed “6 poin s o Pless”66 exis ed
un il he end o he wa . The Hindenbu g-Ludendo -g oup which came in o powe
in Augus 1916 a leas o mally eached i s objec i es. Some days la e he mili a y
con e ence o Wa saw o de ed he decla a ion o he p oclama ion. They held abig
celeb a ion on his occasion in Wa saw and Lublin.
The decla a ion was ollowed by ase ies o impo an and, in e ms o Polish his-
o y, seemingly o wa d-looking measu es. On Janua y 14, 1917, he p o isional S a e
Council was se up.67 The Ge man au ho i ies delega ed 15, he Aus ian-Hunga ian
au ho i ies delega ed 10 elec ed membe s o his boa d. Waclaw Niemojowski 68 was
appoin ed o be he head o i , and Piłsudski became he leade o he mili a y com-
mi ee. Then he Polish go e nmen was se up and un il he ime o elec ing he Pol-
ish king a egen council was appoin ed. The egen council was ce emonially se
up on Oc obe 15, on he anni e sa y o he dea h o Tadeusz Kościuszko. On 26 h
o No embe , 1917 Jan Kucha zewski 69 was appoin ed as aP ime Minis e . A ha
ime Bu ián hadn’ been he minis e o o eign a ai s ye . The Lublin celeb a ion o
he p oclama ion was he swan-song a he end o his i s pe iod as aminis e . The
decla a ions didn’ con ain any conc e e; s ill he bo de s o he u u e Poland we -
en’ eco ded and he es ablished boa ds exis ed wi h aGe man hand-gea , so hey
couldn’ make any di e ence in he li e o he Polish socie y.70 In ac he Ge mans
63 H. RUMPLER, Eine Chance ü Mi eleu opa. Bü ge liche Emanzipa ion und S aa s e all in de
Habsbu ge mona chie, in: W. HERWIG (Ed.), Ös e eichische Geschich e 1904–1914, Uebe -
eu e 1997, p.560.
64 GULYÁS, Küzdelem…, p.139.
65 Ibidem.
66 J. ŽUPANIČ, Rakousko-Uhe sko apolská o ázka za p ní s ě o é álky, P aha 2006, p.93.
67 Tymczasowa Rada S anu.
68 Wacław Niemojowski (1865–1939), aPolish conse a i e Ch is ian na ional poli ician. In
1917 p esides “as ac own Ma shall” in he S a e Council.
69 Jan Kucha zewski (1876–1952), aPolish his o ian, aju is , and he P ime Minis e in
1917–1918.
70 H. SCHAPP, pp.69–73.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 99
se up as age-se on which he Ge man a ogance was p esen and awo ld-powe
pe o mance was held a he expense o Aus ia-Hunga y and Poland.
In he ollowing almos one and ahal yea , a e Decembe 22, 1916, he new Kai-
se and he leade ship o he empi e had ago a making asepa a e peace. Cze nin
wasn’ mo e success ul han Bu ián, he ac s ha Russia le he wa , he peace ne-
go ia ions o B es -Li o sk, he Six us-a ai , he dominance o En en e as he US
en e ed he wa , all hese we e nega i es no only om he aspec o he Polish issue
bu om he aspec o he en i e ac i i y o he Cen al Powe s. In No embe 1917,
a“ alse enaissance” go s a ed in he Polish issue. The e was achange in he Ge man
leade ship o o eign a ai s and his ca alysed he p ocesses. Ins ead o Jagow Rich-
a d on Kühlmann71 became he s a e sec e a y o he Fo eign O ice. The ea u es o
he ea men o he Polish issue always depended on he de elopmen o he ac ual
mili a y si ua ion. Tha happened now as well. On he 5 h o No embe a he mee ing
o he ep esen a i es o he wo go e nmen s e ec ed by he de ea s hey su e ed,
he Ge mans decided ha a e so many ui less deba es hey would gi e Poland back
o he Mona chy, bu no he whole. They concluded condi ions: b oad bo de e i-
sion in a ou o Ge many, which mean he ea lie ixed line o Na wa-Wa a, and
also ha 60 housand squa e kilome es we e aken away om he Kingdom; handing
o e o he Ge mans almos he o al Polish coal mining; ensu ing he igh s o he
Ge mans in Poland, e c. The p oposal was equal wi h he ou h di ision o Poland.
One scandal was ollowed by ano he , hen he Uk ainian sepa a e peace ( u ning o
Eas -Galicia and e i o y o Chełm72 o e o he jus o ming Uk ainian People’s Re-
public in change o one and ahal million ons o g ain, which he Mona chy ied o
ea he public supply wi h) made in B es in 1918 disillusioned he mos de e mined
Polish conse a i e iends o Aus ia.73 A e so many ui ul yea s o co-ope a ion
hey u ned away om he Mona chy.
THE WAY HOW THE END STARTS: THE SECOND COMMON MINISTRY
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: APRIL 16— OCTOBER 24, 1918
Fo Bu ián didn’ s a a“ o ced es ” un il Ap il 1918. Kaise Ka l placed him back
o he posi ion o he common minis e o inance which he illed ea lie . Since, is-
sues o Bosnia-He zego ina had belonged o he common minis y o inance since
1878, his became he main segmen o he ope a ion in he Balkan. The memoi such
71 Richa d on Kűhlmann (1873–1948), aGe man manu ac u e , adiploma in No h A ica,
alega e in Tu key, Sweden and in he Ne he lands. In 1916 he s a e sec e a y o he Fo -
eign a ai s o ice. In 1917 his ela ionship wi h Ludendo go w ong, and had o lea e.
72 The e i o y o Chełmi: Pa o he once Polish kingdom, wi h mixed eligious, mainly
uni es inhabi an s. In 1815 annexed o Russia oge he wi h he Polish Kingdom. A p es-
en he dis ic cen e o Lublin p o ince.
73 “W wa unkach poga szającej się szybko sy uacji wojskowej, gospoda czej ipoli icznej pańs w cen-
ałnych ównież pozycja Rady Regencyjnej ipowolywanych p zez nią ządów w K óles wie s -
awała się co az udniejsza.” H. ZIELIŃSKI, His o ia Polski 1914–1939: Zaklad Na odowyim,
W ocław 1985, p.46.
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100 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
agen e, which can be said so many hing, bu canno be said ha i s w i e always
w i es down wha he o she el a he ime when hings happened. Acco ding o he
memoi o Bu ián he “g ee ed” he Kaise ’s decision, as i e u ned o such aplace
which he ook o e wi h so much “in e es and lo e” eigh yea s be o e.74 In ac we
can nei he say ha he would ha e been o e h own “upwa ds”.
Bu la e Cze nin also o e h ew, and began he second pe iod as acommon min-
is e o o eign a ai s o him, which wasn’ ashiny success ei he — al hough in
ha u u eless social ci cums ances dis u bed by mili a y and supply di icul ies he
unsuccess ulness could no be cha ged Bu ián o . He s a ed o come up wi h he
Polish solu ion again a he Ge mans in Ap il 1918 in aconcilia o y one which he al-
ways used in connec ion wi h he Polish. Some days la e he ook his o ice he w o e o
Is án Ug on o Wa saw: “We only seek o he Aus opolonis solu ion, al hough his was
he sympa he ic all he ime, o he ex en ha is sui able o he poli ical in ellec ual o he
Polish na ion. I is as plain as dayligh ha his solu ion is ad an ageous o he Polish bo h in
e ms o e i o y and u u e he si ua ion o powe o he Polish s a e. In ha case i i would
be unde es ima e om he Polish side so much ha hey lis en o he Ge man-Polish solu ion
by he e ec o i esponsible ac o s, ha he unca ed Kingdom would be only wi h Ge many
in mili a y and cus oms union and hey hink his is he bes cons uc ion alone, we would be
no able o hinde i . They ha e o bea he consequences o hei shaky decisions hemsel es.”75
His mili a y a ge policy was unchanged. The de ence o he g ea powe s a e,
he ocus on main aining he whole Mona chy, pe haps peace nego ia ions, bu mean-
while no o gi e up he a emp s o expansion o he e i o y and he aspec s o se-
cu i y. S ill he “ou side ” F i z Fische is s a ed ha Bu ián al eady in 1916-ban was
w ong abou he iden i ica ion o he possibili ies o Aus ia–Hunga y.76 A he same
ime he appoin men o Bu ián— a e , om Polish aspec , unblessed ac i i y o
Cze nin— no only he Aus ian iendly, bu o he o he Polish people, he “pushed
away he big s one” ou o he way and he common ag eemen . The Aus ian-Polish
concep e y quickly became he o icial p og am again. On Ap il 6 h— wo weeks
be o e he displace o Cze nin— Ka l he Fou h w o e o William he Second again:
he Aus o-Polish solu ion is he bes and pe haps he bes solu ion o he issue.77
74 HHS A P. A. Wien. K ieg 56/a/7. Ka on o 1015. Bu ián számjel á i a a Ug onnak 1918.
áp ilis 24.
75 „Die Ziele, die Bu ian da übe hinaus ü die als Folge des on ihm ange eg en F iedessch i s e -
wa e en Ve handlungen es hiel , zeigen abe , daß e sein al es Ziel, einen möglichs »g oßen-
Zuwachs an Mach und Siche hei « ü die Mona chie zu gewinnen, nich au gegeben
ha e— womi e die Gesam lage wie die Möglichkei en Ös e eich–Unga ns e kann e.“
F. FISCHER, G i nach de Wel mach . Die K iegszielpoli ik des kaise lichen Deu schland
1914/1918, Düsseldo 1962, p.399.
76 „[…] bes e und ielleich die einzige Lösung […]”. W. CONZE, Polnische Na ion und deu sche Poli-
ik im e s en Wel k ieg, Köln-G az 1958, p.357.
77 E zhe zog Ka l S ephan (1860–1933). O igina ed om he Techen b anch o he Habsbu gs,
he was he g andson o G and Duke Ka l, he ic o in Aspe n, b o he o F ede ick G and
Duke, he gene alissimo o he Mona chy’s Fi s Wo ld Wa a my. He se led down wi h his
amily in he p incedom o Teschen a he bo de o Galicia and Teschen wi h an almos 53
housand ac e Saybusch (in Polish: Żywiec) mano . The pos e i y conside s him he mos
alen ed membe o he Habsbu gs.
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zOLTáN TEFNER 101
Un il he g ea de ea s in July a Pia e his was he cou se which de ined he po-
li ical a mosphe e be ween he wo empi es. A he mean ime, he Ge man mili a y
leade ship o ced he so called “Kandida enlösung”, he candida e o he h one,
which mean ha he wo-g ea powe would ag ee in he pe son o he u u e Polish
king o be c owned la e , and du ing his ule would s a keeping he Polish e i-
o ies in one hand in a o m o condominium. A e along p oc as ina ion, which
s a ed a he end o 1916, he decision was made o he Royal y. Bo h pa y ound ap-
p op ia e G and Duke Ka l S ephen.78 He spoke well in Polish, li ed in Galicia; Polish
people lo ed him, and conside ed him o belong o hem. The news eached Wa saw
h ough he Polish channels ha he Aus ian— Polish solu ion was pushed aside
and he candida e o he king e sion was coming. On May 17 h a e he checking in
Be lin Bu ián in o med Ug on in Wa saw ha is a om i because he wo leade -
ships wen on checking abou he Aus ian-Polish solu ion. The epea ed checking
ook place in Be lin on July 10 whe e Bu ián s ic ly insis ed o his own idea: i he e
isn’ Aus ian— Polish se ling “[…] he idea o alliance is shaken”.79
The eali y was di e en . Amon h la e — he Ge man Ambassado in Vienna
epo ed o He ling chancello ha Aus ia in he old sense no exis ed any mo e, he
whole coun y is ull o e olu iona y way o hinking and he “p ocess o dis up ion”
is e y a gone.80 By ha ime— de ini ely by he e ec o he psychical p o ec i e e-
lex ( he s a o he end )— in Budapes Tisza and misunde s ood he si ua ion; Sán-
do Weke le, he Hunga ian P ime Minis e explained a leng h ha he conside ed
he Aus ian-Polish solu ion good. In his panic, he e was amess in he hough s.81
Bu ián kep on igh ing o he “old aims which had los ”— said wi ily We ne
Conze.82 Ge mans— in he same panic— co esponding wi h he ins uc ions o
he Sup eme Headqua e s opposi e o Bu ián s ill u ged o secu e he bo de land.
Wedel, he Ge man Ambassado o Vienna83 no long be o e, a he beginning o July
in Belgian Spa he handed o e ap oclama ion which was made in he Ge man Head-
qua e s and le his o ice wi h he calming eeling ha Bu ián migh came a ound.
Bu Bu ián used ac ics a ha mee ing as well. He wasn’ epulsi e like he beha ed
ea lie because he was a aid o losing his posi ion and he was also a aid o he ange
o he Ge mans. Howe e , on 22nd July he le Wedel know ha he didn’ accep he Ge -
man p oposal as comple e, he s ill conside ed i only a“basis o nego ia ions”. Wedel
ang ily asked his p incipals— ha he same way hey did in Decembe 1916— as
a“Ge man impac ” le hey o e h ow Bu ián again.84
Bu he empe o also used ac ics. On Augus 14 h a ano he mili a y aim con e -
ence Ka l commi ed himsel o he Ge man “Kandida enlösung” hen on he way
78 CONZE, p.367.
79 Ibidem.
80 DIÓSZEGI, p.234.
81 CONZE, p.368.
82 Bo ho on Wedel, G a (1862–1943). AGe man diploma , and aConsul-Gene al in Buda-
pes in 1904. F om 1916 Ambassado in Vienna.
83 CONZE, p.371.
84 Paul on Hin ze (1864–1941). AGe man Rea Admi al, adiploma , om July 1918 S a e Sec-
e a y o Fo eign A ai s (Minis e o Fo eign A ai s).
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102 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2/2016
home he said he opposi e: he didn’ belie e ha he mood in Vienna would be such
which jus i y he igno ing o he Aus o-Polish solu ion. In his decision e lec ed Ka l’s
insu icien knowledge. One o he eason o his dissocia ion was ha he didn’ ag ee
wi h he pe son who was acandida e o he King (he wan ed o be he Polish King),
he o he eason was his idea ha wi h he loss o he coal mines o Dąb owa Aus ia’s
ene gy supply would s op, and he ebellious masses’ des i u ion would in ensi y and
he e olu ion b eak ou (in his he showed clai oyance, as he e olu ion b oke ou
mainly because o ha in No embe ). Nei he Bu ián no Ca l judged he hings a
hei ue alue: o he s eng hen o he pe sonal posi ion and o he p oc as ina-
ion cons i u ional deba e he Sep embe o 1918 wasn’ he mos sui able ime.
The King c ises had been sol ed some days la e by he ecede o S ephen Ka l. The
Ge man a ogance was ge ing s onge (William he Second showed dile an ism as
well in he di e en pe iods o he wa ): on Hin ze s a e sec e a y,85 he successo
o Kühlmann blackmailed Bu ián and he Polish. I Aus ia insis ed o i s plan u -
he mo e and au oc a ically annex he mili a y bo de land and he coal mines. The
Polish appa a us o s a e didn’ unc ion well ei he , he cabine o Kucha zewski in
i s hu y owa ds he end wasn’ able o pe o m i s ask. Among hese ci cums ances
me he wo pa ies on 5 h o Sep embe in Vienna. The mee ing was ine ec ual. The
issue was gi en o an Expe Commi ee o examine— no one knows how many imes.
The Ge mans wo ked ou anew plan o anew and modes bo de e ision. Be ween
24 h and 28 h o Sep embe Be lin became he place o coo dina ion again whe e hap-
pened no hing again. Finally, ag o esque hing happened. Bu ián decided o “make
himsel independen ”. He sen ale e o he Aus ian and Hunga ian go e nmen (by
ha ime bo h los i s o e iew on he issues), and w o e hem ha he was going o
issue adecla a ion abou he Aus ian and Polish se ling, as he Ge man go e nmen
would do he same in espec o he launch o he Ge man-Polish solu ion. On 10 h
o Oc obe Ug on epo ed om Wa saw ha he Ge mans we e planning as anew
honey s ing o e ed he hando e o new b anches o public adminis a ion o he
s a e easu y, which hey educed o he minimum and imposed new condi ions.
The Regen Council ejec ed indignan ly he Ge man “ges u e”.86 The pendulum de-
lec ed again. The no ice o Ug on showed how con used we e he Polish in he judge-
men o he si ua ion: Wa saw’s a en ion is again on Vienna. In he ejec ion o he
Polish ha ecogni ion is concluded ha hey no iced he weakening o he Ge man
empi e and he “eme gency”. Bu ián and Kühlmann in he las days compe ed who
could gi e mo e p e e ence o he Polish. The wo once g ea powe s a he edge o
des uc ion was qua elling on concep s which didn’ exis anymo e.
85 HHS A P. A. Wien. K ieg 56/a/7. Ka on o 1015. Ug on Bu iánnak, 1918. ok óbe 10. „De
Regen scha s a ha am 4. d. M s. eine ziemlich sch o ablehnende An wo an Gene al on Bese-
le ge ich e , in welche gesag wu de, daß das Vo gehen des Gene algou e neu s nach eilige Fol-
gen au die En wicklung de Ve häl nisse zwischen Polen und dem Deu schen Reich nach sich zie-
hen müsse.“
86 HHS A P. A. Wien. K ieg 56/a/7. Ka on o 1015. Ug on Bu iánnak, 1918. ok óbe 10. „Wie
mi on Os owski sag e, hä e eine solche No e noch o wenigen Wochen die alle g öß e Be iedi-
gung he o ge u en; heu e e ehl sie ih e Wi kung, da da in nu ein Zeichen de Schwäche und
de einges andenen No lage Deu schlands e blick wi d.“
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zOLTáN TEFNER 103
On Oc obe 8 h Bu ián p esen ed asugges ion o Wedel o discuss he Polish issue.
Bu his couldn’ ’ happen. On Oc obe 11 when i was clea ha he “Kaise mani es ”,
he despe a e a emp o Ca l o keep he Mona chy oge he didn’ succeed so he
asked Wedel o pass o e he nego ia ions. The poin on he “i” was pu by he “suc-
cesso ” Gyula And ássy who sugges ed such aplan o he Polish go e nmen on 19 h o
Oc obe which he couldn’ ealize, his was o uni e he Kingdom wi h Galicia. I was
eally ag o esque scene ha someone who was he g ea iend o he Polish o ou
yea s couldn’ able o ecognize he essence o he si ua ion and make ool o himsel .
Bu ián was ollowed by And ássy as he las common o eign minis e o he Mon-
a chy be ween 24 h Oc obe and 2nd o No embe — al oge he o en days. Then he
hings wen on wi hou wo o hem. On he 11 h o No embe , he Regen Council ap-
poin ed Józe Klemens Piłsudski he gene al commande o he Polish oops who ook
o e la e he leade ship o he Polish s a e. Anew chap e s a ed in he Polish his o y.
ISTVÁN BURIÁN AND THE SETTLING OF THE POLISH ISSUE
DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR
ABSTRACT
Be ween 13 h Janua y 1915 and he Ap il o 1916 illed Is án Bu ián he cha ge o he Common Fo -
eign Minis e o he Aus o-Hunga ian Empi e. In his ime culmina ed he polish ques ion in he
policy o he Fi s Wo ld Wa cons i u ing he basis o he ela ions Aus o-Hunga ian and Ge -
many. The i s pe iod a e 5 h Augus 1915 a e he oops o he oo allied powe s had occupied he
ull e i o y o he o me Polish Kingdom was a ising apoli ical p essu e o a ange he a e o he
Polish Na ion: go e nmen , poli ical sys em, educa ion, public supply and so on. The poli ical lead-
e ship o he Danube-Mona chy had ied o se le he ques ion in he amewo k o he so-called
Aus o-Polish-P ojec added he libe a ed Polish Kingdom o Aus o-Hunga y. In he Aus ian pol-
icy became his concep he leading go e ning p inciple agains he Ge man ideas o uni Poland
wi h Ge many. This solu ion o he ques ion was aconsequence o he aspi a ions o Ge many o he
domina ion o he wo ld o a leas o Eas -Eu ope. Is án Bu ián had been ac ing on behal o he
Aus o-polish solu ion e y consis en , and wha is mo e, wi h adoc ina ian de e mina ion ha
was ollowed om his u n o mind: because he had alo o poli ical p econcep ions, he ied o e-
alize his. The esis ance o he Ge man Go e nmen on he spi e wi h Be hmann-Hollweg was so
ha d ha he ambi ions o Bu ián p o ed o be as igh ing windmills. Bu ián had been going on he
way o he “sub-dualis ic” s uc u e in like manne o he si ua ion o C oa ian in he amewo k
o he Danube-Mona chy. In his second pe iod as Common Fo eign Minis e (Ap il— Oc obe 1918)
has hinde ed him he de ensi e ends o he mili a y si ua ion o he Cen al Powe s o ealize his
imagines upon he Polish Solu ion.
KEYWORDS
Aus o-Polonism; he Fu u e o Poland; Common Minis y o he Fo eign A ai s; Sub-dualis ic Sys-
em; Uni y he Polish Na ion; Cen al Powe s
Zol án Te ne | Ins i u e o Sociology and Social Policy, Facul y o Social Sciences, Co inus Uni e -
si y, Köz ak á u ca 4-6, 1093 Budapes , Hunga y, zol an. e ne @uni-co inus.hu
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