Austria-Hungary´s Attitude Towards World Politics 1894-1905

Project number: Research project P 13200 Project title: Austria-Hungary`s Attitude towards World Politics 1894-1905 ABSTRACT OF THE PROJECT The decade between the Sino-Japanese War (1894/95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904/05) saw a fundamental change in international politics. Asia made it into the minds of European foreign policy makers - even in Austria- Hungary, a phenomenon which has remained unconsidered up to now. The era of Agenor Count Goluchowski as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1895-1906) was a period of organizational changes in Austro-Hungarian foreign relations. Austria-Hungary up to then concentrated on European affairs, established a network of diplomatic and consular representations in East Asia thought to stimulate Austrian. foreign economy and to provide data therefore. The research project aims to show the position of the Habsburg Monarchy regarding main political developments in Asia, Africa and the Americas between 1894/95 and 1904/05 and the reception of the events in Austria-Hungary. The study will be based on the files of the Austrian State Archives (Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Kriegsarchiv) as well as on various printed sources. Newspapers and periodicals in general provide a wide range of opinions regarding world politics expressed by Austrian observers. It will be examined how these publications influenced Austrian political leaders who were barely engaged in imperialistic activities. The examination of Austria- Hungary`s attitude towards world politics has also to consider socio-economic developments in the Dual Monarchy as well as political ideas expressed by various political leaders.