The Undermining of Austria-Hungary : The Battle for Hearts and Minds

This Is A Major New Contribution To The Historiography Of The First World War. It Examines The Lively Battle Of Ideas Which Helped To Destroy Austria-hungary. It Also Assesses, For The First Time, The Weapon Of 'front Propaganda' As Used By And Against The Empire On The Italian And Eastern Fronts. Based On Material In Eight Languages, The Work Challenges Accepted Views About Britain's Primacy In The Field Of Propaganda, While Casting Fresh Light On The Creation Of Yugoslavia And The Viability Of The Habsburg Empire In Its Last Years. "It is a long awaited, very scholarly, authoritative, and intensively researched piece of work that expertly fills a large gap in the historiography of the First World War. It is a major contribution to our understanding of the Austro-Italian front (the most neglected of the major theatres of the war), of the break-up of the Habsburg Monarchy, and of front propaganda (which has previously been studied almost entirely in the context of the Western Front). Despite the complexity of its material, it is clearly and attractively written. It deals with topics that had been almost wholly neglected by English-language writers and is the product of years of work in an impressive variety of languages and archival sources."--Professor David Stevenson, The London School of Economics and Political Science This is the best and most significant book on a topic related to the Austro-Hungarian armed forces ... required reading for all scholars and students ... ' - American Historical Review ' ... a long awaited, very scholarly, authoritative, and intensively researched piece of work that expertly fills a large gap in the historiography of the First World War ... a major contribution to our understanding of the Austro-Italian front ... the break-up of the Habsburg Monarchy, and of front propaganda.. Despite the complexity of its material, it is clearly and attractively written ... is the product of years of work in an impressive variety of languages and archival sources. It should receive excellent reviews.' - Professor David Stevenson, Department of International History, London School of Economics 'Mark Cornwall presents a rich and wide-ranging account of the propaganda battles fought out on the Eastern and Italian fronts during the First World War. His meticulous study is not only an important contribution to the history of psychological warfare in general, but gives new insight into the causes of Austria-Hungary's demise in 1918.' - Martyn Rady, General Editor, Slavonic and East European Review ' ... a highly original work that fills a significant gap in our knowledge of the experience of the war.' - Soloman Wank, Central European History This Is A Study Of The Lively Battle Of Ideas Which Helped To Destroy The Habsburg Empire During The First World War. Mark Cornwall Examines Austria-hungary's Dissolution Through The Prism Of 'front Propaganda': The Use Of Propaganda As A Weapon Of Warfare Against The Enemy. He Shows That It Was Wielded With Particular Skill On The Italian And Eastern Fronts In Three Major Propaganda Campaigns Which Involved Austria-hungary.--jacket. 1. A Theory Of Front Propaganda -- 2. Austria-hungary And The Control Of Wartime Morale -- 3. The Experience Of Propaganda Against Russia. 3.1. The Campaign On The Eastern Front. 3.2. The 'breaking Of Russia'. 3.3. The Serbian Campaign -- 4. Austria-hungary's Campaign Against Italy. 4.1. The Italian Target. 4.2. The Launch Of An Austrian Campaign. 4.3. The Impact Of Austria-hungary's Front Propaganda -- 5. The Seeds Of Italy's Campaign. 5.1. Obstacles To Effective Propaganda. 5.2. The Role Of Italian Military Intelligence. 5.3. The Dream Of Carzano. 5.4. The Propaganda Duel -- 6. Italy's Campaign Against Austria-hungary. 6.1. The British Contribution. 6.2. Steed's Coordinating Mission. 6.3. The Padua Commission. Mark Cornwall. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 454-465) And Index. This is a study of the lively battle of ideas which helped to destroy the Habsburg Empire during the First World War. Mark Cornwall examines Austria-Hungary's dissolution through the prism of 'front propaganda': the use of propaganda as a weapon of warfare against the enemy. He shows that it was wielded with particular skill on the Italian and Eastern Fronts in three major propaganda campaigns which involved Austria-Hungary. The most sophisticated was Italy's campaign of 1918 which, in appealing to the 'oppressed peoples' of the Empire, acted as a catalyst upon domestic disintegration. The Habsburg authorities failed to find an attractive alternative to counter such ideas; indeed, their own behaviour had alienated many of their imperial subjects since 1914. As a result, in the struggle for hearts and minds later in the war they were always at a disadvantage. Basing his work on solid archival research in Vienna, Budapest and Zagreb, the author uses material in eight languages to uncover many new features of the Great War. In particular, he challenges assumptions about Britain's leading role in the field of wartime propaganda, while explaining much about Austria-Hungary's disintegration Front Matter....Pages i-xvi A Theory of Front Propaganda....Pages 1-15 Austria-Hungary and the Control of Wartime Morale....Pages 16-39 The Experience of Propaganda against Russia....Pages 40-73 Austria-Hungary’s Campaign against Italy....Pages 74-111 The Seeds of Italy’s Campaign....Pages 112-173 Italy’s Campaign against Austria-Hungary....Pages 174-256 Austria-Hungary on the Defensive....Pages 257-319 The Climax of Italian Psychological Warfare....Pages 320-404 Disintegration....Pages 405-432 Conclusion....Pages 433-444 Back Matter....Pages 445-485