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The Austro-Hungarian Empire, as a leading Central European power, regarded the Balkan Peninsula as a potential area for economic expansion and political influence in the period between 1878 and 1918.
“Nevertheless, we have little information about what were the considerations behind the Balkan strategy of Austria-Hungary in addition to the traditional foreign policy approach. We are not certain if regional differences can be observed in the joint government's crisis management efforts and what sort of direct or indirect influence individual actors, such as Lajos Thallóczy, István Burián or Benjámin Kállay, had on shaping the processes,” said Katalin Schrek, assistant professor at the Institute of History of the Faculty of Humanities of UD, to hirek.unideb.hu.
As the head of the research group, she emphasized that the personal diaries and correspondence of the “Balkan diplomats” prove to be immense help for the scholarly work. There has not been a critical edition of these sources published so far, but the funding from the grant now provides an opportunity to fill the gap and publish the source publications.
Beyond all this, a central element of the project is to contribute to a better understanding of the complexities of the Balkans and the connections of this peninsula to Europe and, in particular, to Central Europe, by studying the mechanisms of strategic thinking and foreign policy making.
“It is a great pleasure for us that the University of Debrecen is now related to one of the few successful applications in the National Research Excellence Program for historians, which is of notable importance. It is not only a Hungarian but also a globally characteristic phenomenon that the humanities and social sciences have recently lost gravity and recognition, which is why it is difficult to successfully complete applications and win support for these disciplines. Also, as a historian, I consider it of particular relevance that, in addition to the research conducted at our institute, which largely covers the Middle Ages, the exploration of events in the 19th and 20th centuries can also be given a prominent role,” said Róbert Barta in his opening speech.
The director of the Institute of History of the Faculty of Humanities of UD emphasized that he was confident of the successful completion of their work, as the members of the research team, all of whom have strong ties to the university and the Institute of History, had already had an impressive record of achievement in their previous assignments.
This research group holds together the most important workshops of Balkan studies in Hungary: the host institution is the Institute of History of the Faculty of Humanities of UD, the objectives of the program are achieved through the joint work of HUN-REN BTK Történettudományi Intézet Délkelet-Európa Története Osztály [Department of History of South-Eastern Europe of the Institute of History of HUN-REN Faculty of Humanities] and the Balkan Studies workshop of the University of Pécs, while special attention is paid to cooperation with foreign research institutions and to the development and strengthening of inter-institutional relations.
The program is expected to end in 2028 and will involve a series of presentations given at thematic conferences and the publication of the proceedings.
Find more information on the work of Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal Nemzeti Kutatási Kiválóság Program STARTING 150326 Kutatócsoport [National Research Excellence Program STARTING 150326 Research Group of National Research, Development and Innovation Office] at https://tortenelem.unideb.hu/az-osztrak-magyar-monarchia-geopolitikai-tendenciai-es-balkani-strategiaja-nemzeti-kutatasi.
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