the acquisition of certain parts of the crumbling Habsburg monarchy. Therefore, it focused its attention on its neighbour and ally, and considered the ‘Anschluss’, i.e. Although Germany’s former imperialistic aspirations were irretrievably lost, Berlin was not going to accept the fact that the war (although lost) would not bring any benefi t.
However, the defeat of the German army on the Western Front in August 1918 forced Berlin to strongly reevaluate its initial, somewhat excessive, imperialistic ambitions.
At the same time, they also hoped to push through their own imperialistic claims in the Habsburg Monarchy, by introducing an unconditional German hegemony in Cisleithania. In its quest for a total subjugation of Central Europe, Berlin attracted supporters with crystallized views in the very Austro Hungary, primarily, among Greater German nationalists in Cisleithania who fully identifi ed themselves with imperialistic plans of the German Empire. In addition to the external pressure, Vienna also felt the internal pressure from supporters of close ties between the Habsburg Monarchy and Germany. Therefore, following the defeat of the Russian army on the Eastern Front in May 1915 and moving of the troops of the Central Powers towards the East with the subsequent occupation of the Russian annexed part of the original Kingdom of Poland, also known as Congress Poland, the future of Poland and, at the same time, of the Habsburg Monarchy, along with the prospects of potential reconstruction of the Austro- Hungarian monarchy into a trialistic state, became a burning issue. The main opponent of German plans for the governance over Central and Eastern Europe was Russia. Germany also justifi ed the unleashing of the war as a necessity for the survival of Austro-Hungary. The breakthrough in the development of Central Europe was the First World War. A question was asked whether it would be a better solution to rather incorporate Cisleithania, including the Czech countries, directly into Germany. However, the ruling circles in Berlin increasingly raised doubts as to whether keeping alive the decaying Habsburg monarchy is reasonable. This was due to the fact that the Slavs represented the majority among the nations which were a part of the Habsburg monarchy, whose closer links with Germany were an indispensable condition for survival.
According to contemporary views, prevailing among the supporters of the ‘Greater German’ solution for the future of Central Europe, the fi ght for the “imperial position of the uniform German Reich in the world” meant, primarily, a campaign against the Slavs. At the same time, Germany’s attempts to gain total control of the region were particularly apparent. In the 19th century, the period of dynamic development in Central Europe, several nations stood out due to their nationalism which became the most important principle of political, cultural and social life.