- Historian of Treason, Austria-Hungary, Czech, Hungarian and South Slav lands. Writing book about 'Treason in the Age ... moreHistorian of Treason, Austria-Hungary, Czech, Hungarian and South Slav lands. Writing book about 'Treason in the Age of Franz Joseph 1848-1918'. Also preparing set of essays on LGBTQ Czech history; researching the Czech security police in 1989edit
Critical review of The Bell of Treason by P.E. Caquet. Review argues that despite its vivid capture of the Czech atmosphere of 1938, this is nevertheless a book based on old historiography which does not take account of recent research by... more
Critical review of The Bell of Treason by P.E. Caquet. Review argues that despite its vivid capture of the Czech atmosphere of 1938, this is nevertheless a book based on old historiography which does not take account of recent research by Czech and other historians on interwar Czechoslovakia and the Czech-German background to the Sudeten crisis.
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A critical review of the monograph of Pieter Judson, The Habsburg Empire: A New History
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This is a critical review for the Times Literary Supplement of John Zametica, Folly and Malice: The Habsburg Empire, the Balkans and the Start of World War I (2017). It acknowledges some new research on the Sarajevo murders of 1914 but... more
This is a critical review for the Times Literary Supplement of John Zametica, Folly and Malice: The Habsburg Empire, the Balkans and the Start of World War I (2017). It acknowledges some new research on the Sarajevo murders of 1914 but questions the polemical underlying argument.
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A study of how traitors emerged and were interpreted during the 1848 year of revolution in Vienna: a concept first endorsed by liberals and radicals but then adopted by the conservatives as they retook the city.
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A version of this booklet was delivered as the lst Austrian Studies Lecture at the University of Leiden in November 2019. It is an analysis of how traitors were defined and categorized in the Habsburg Empire from c.1866 to 1900, using... more
A version of this booklet was delivered as the lst Austrian Studies Lecture at the University of Leiden in November 2019. It is an analysis of how traitors were defined and categorized in the Habsburg Empire from c.1866 to 1900, using material in the German, Czech, Croatian and Hungarian languages. Case studies are supplied of assassins, anarchists and irredentists since these roughly mapped on to the criminal codes used in Austria and Hungary. The discussion explores why and when treason law was invoked and the damage done to the authorities when they pursued traitors who in fact had broad support in the state community
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This article uses Czech and German material to reassess the career of the controversial Sudeten German nationalist politician, Konrad Henlein (1898-1945). It particularly seeks to clarify the behaviour of a man who many in 1930s Britain... more
This article uses Czech and German material to reassess the career of the controversial Sudeten German nationalist politician, Konrad Henlein (1898-1945). It particularly seeks to clarify the behaviour of a man who many in 1930s Britain viewed as 'moderate', and pinpoints turning points in his life and career which finally led him towards Nazi Germany after 1937 as a solution for Czech-German nationalist tensions in Czechoslovakia. The chapter is contained in a volume of essays which reassesses right-wing and fascist personalities of East-Central Europe in the early 20th century. Henlein is revealed as alternatively 'moderate' and 'Nazi' to the outside observer, but in essence a man with a Sudeten voelkisch mentality
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... JX On Reinhart Kudlich see Branislav Martinek's article, 'Purkmistfi mesta Gpavy (3)', Nate Opavsko, May 1999, p. ro. ... p. 133· .' Martinek, 'Purkmistil', who notes that Kudlich on the eve of his death... more
... JX On Reinhart Kudlich see Branislav Martinek's article, 'Purkmistfi mesta Gpavy (3)', Nate Opavsko, May 1999, p. ro. ... p. 133· .' Martinek, 'Purkmistil', who notes that Kudlich on the eve of his death on the Eastern front inJuly 1943 expressed some remorse over Nazism. ...
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This is an innovative study of how popular mobilization increased on behalf of a Yugoslav state in the South Slavs of the wartime Habsburg Monarchy. The article reveals where the grassroots mobilization was strongest (often propelled... more
This is an innovative study of how popular mobilization increased on behalf of a Yugoslav state in the South Slavs of the wartime Habsburg Monarchy. The article reveals where the grassroots mobilization was strongest (often propelled forward by economic and social grievances), and contributes to our understanding of how and why the imperial authorities were fast losing their legitimacy by 1918 to the advantage of the Yugoslav vision.
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This is an in-depth study of how the historian Elizabeth Wiskemann researched and wrote about the Sudeten Question in the 1930s/40s. Her groundbreaking book, Czechs and Germans (1938) has never been translated into Czech or German, yet it... more
This is an in-depth study of how the historian Elizabeth Wiskemann researched and wrote about the Sudeten Question in the 1930s/40s. Her groundbreaking book, Czechs and Germans (1938) has never been translated into Czech or German, yet it remains an incisive and balanced study of Czech-German domestic tensions in the 1930s. The article (volume 1/1 of the journal Central Europe) evaluates her role as a female interpreter of a controversial subject - arousing criticism of her from both Czech and German quarters.
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A study of the Sudeten German nationalist leader Konrad Henlein which analyses his personality and evolving views over 25 years. The chapter is one of a range of studies of right-wing influential figures in early 20th century Europe
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A study of how 'traitors' emerged and were interpreted during the year of revolution in Vienna: a concept first endorsed by liberals and radicals but then adopted by the conservatives as they retook the city
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This article (pp.62-83) analyses the stages from 1916 which led to the collapse of the Habsburg empire in the First World War, assessing when and why decisions were taken domestically that reinforced a delegitimization of the state in the... more
This article (pp.62-83) analyses the stages from 1916 which led to the collapse of the Habsburg empire in the First World War, assessing when and why decisions were taken domestically that reinforced a delegitimization of the state in the eyes of politicians or the general public. It reassesses the key watersheds and how far the radical rhetoric matched the reality of expectations.
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This article reassesses the views of the British historian and commentator R.W. Seton-Watson on the phenomenon of nationalism and nation-building in late Austria-Hungary. It concentrates on the Hungarian and South Slav lands, the key... more
This article reassesses the views of the British historian and commentator R.W. Seton-Watson on the phenomenon of nationalism and nation-building in late Austria-Hungary. It concentrates on the Hungarian and South Slav lands, the key focus of Seton-Watson's interest in the early twentieth century, revealing the rationale for his beliefs but also the ways that his views evolved over twenty years.
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This article reassesses the official British discourse around the Treaty of Trianon between 1919 and 1921. It studies a range of colorful opinions for and against the treaty, why they emerged at particular times, and why some could... more
This article reassesses the official British discourse around the Treaty of Trianon between 1919 and 1921. It studies a range of colorful opinions for and against the treaty, why they emerged at particular times, and why some could prevail over others. Especially it focuses on the rationale of those British parliamentarians or officials who spoke out against Trianon as being unjust to Hungary. These leading voices had varied backgrounds and prejudices, but they all had personal knowledge of Hungary either before or after World War I. The article is divided into three time-periods, thereby highlighting the main shifts in British opinion that were often caused by geo-political changes in Hungary itself. While the key British decisions were taken in 1919 at the time of the Paris Peace Conference, the vibrant and public British debate of 1920–21 also had a long-term impact: it sustained Hungarian hopes and illusions about a future revision of Trianon and about potential British sympathy...
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A study of the work of Yugoslav emigres during the First World War and the problems that they faced in Italy because of the Treaty of London. Despite consistent difficulties, the chapter argues that there were successes in the fields of... more
A study of the work of Yugoslav emigres during the First World War and the problems that they faced in Italy because of the Treaty of London. Despite consistent difficulties, the chapter argues that there were successes in the fields of propaganda and intelligence in the 1917-18., aiding at least indirectly the creation of a Yugoslav state in 1918
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Review of John Zametica, Folly and Malice : The Habsburg Empire, the Balkans and the Start of World War I
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Study of leadership in the Sudeten German nationalist youth movement c.1914-194
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Whatever we call “treason”—Hochverrat, trahison, velezrada, veleizdaja, felségsértés—it has been a constant phenomenon in human history. The “traitor,” the individual who breaks a major bond of trust, has emerged in every era and is... more
Whatever we call “treason”—Hochverrat, trahison, velezrada, veleizdaja, felségsértés—it has been a constant phenomenon in human history. The “traitor,” the individual who breaks a major bond of trust, has emerged in every era and is usually treated as a pariah in society. At the most significant treason trial of the late Habsburg monarchy, that of fifty-three Serbs in Zagreb in 1909, the main defense lawyer Hinko Hinković began his concluding speech with a typical legal adage: that treason was “the most loathsome thing” imaginable. Down the centuries, he said, humanity had singled out two types of traitors. First, there were those who betrayed God, best personified in Judas Iscariot. Second, there were traitors to the nation such as the Spartan Ephialtes who, according to Herodotus, fatally betrayed his homeland to the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 BCE. While both types were “repulsive and terrible,” Hinković quickly opined that the latter—the national traitor—was really the most t...
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In a quiet cemetery on the c outskirts of Osečná, in northern Bohemia, at one with nature and overlooked by Mount Ještěd, lies the plot of the Rutha family. Two black metal plaques bolted to a stone wall commemorate Heinrich Rutha... more
In a quiet cemetery on the c outskirts of Osečná, in northern Bohemia, at one with nature and overlooked by Mount Ještěd, lies the plot of the Rutha family. Two black metal plaques bolted to a stone wall commemorate Heinrich Rutha (1897–1937), with an inscription in German: “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15.13). For those who erected this memorial, the meaning was undoubtedly clear. Heinz Rutha (as he was usually called) had died as a martyr to a higher cause, in service to the Sudeten German people—the German minority in Czechoslovakia who were struggling in the 1930s to secure greater autonomy for themselves. Rutha was a prominent Sudeten German leader and ideologue. Indeed, he was the unofficial “foreign minister” of the Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei; SdP), led by Konrad Henlein, which had won 63 percent of the German vote in the parliamentary elections of 1935. Early on the morning of 5 November 1937 Rutha was found dead in his prison cell in the town of Böhmisch Leipa (Česka Lípa).1 Although all the evidence pointed to suicide, rumors spread immediately that he had been murdered, either by the Czechs or by some other (Nazi) political opponents. The inscription on Rutha’s grave, however, also has a cryptic significance, especially if we assume (as seems possible) that Rutha himself left instructions as to the wording. It hints at his philosophy of life and his vision for a new type of
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ABSTRACTTreason is a ubiquitous historical phenomenon, one particularly associated with regime instability or wartime loyalties. This paper explores the practice and prosecution of treason in the last decades of the Habsburg monarchy with... more
ABSTRACTTreason is a ubiquitous historical phenomenon, one particularly associated with regime instability or wartime loyalties. This paper explores the practice and prosecution of treason in the last decades of the Habsburg monarchy with a special focus on some notorious wartime treason trials. It first sets the rhetoric and law of treason in a comparative historical context before assessing the legal framework supplied by the Austrian penal code of 1852. Although the treason law was exploited quite arbitrarily after 1914, the state authorities in the pre-war decade were already targeting irredentist suspects due to major anxiety about domestic and foreign security. In the Great War, the military were then given extensive powers to prosecute all political crimes including treason, causing a string of show-trials of Bosnian Serbs and some leading Czech politicians. By 1917–18, however, this onslaught on disloyalty was backfiring in the wake of an imperial amnesty: as loyalties shift...
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This article, published in a Festschrift for Professor Elena Mannova, is a new study of the public discourse and vivid imagery that erupted during the Hungarian constitutional crisis of 1905-6. For almost 18 months there was a tense... more
This article, published in a Festschrift for Professor Elena Mannova, is a new study of the public discourse and vivid imagery that erupted during the Hungarian constitutional crisis of 1905-6. For almost 18 months there was a tense stand-off between the Habsburg monarch, Franz Joseph, and a Coalition of Hungarian parties who presented radical nationalist demands. In exploring what was at stake in this crisis, the article uses new archival sources to focus on the personality and outlook of the prime minister installed by Franz Joseph, Baron Géza Fejérváry. It especially compares the image of Fejérváry pushed in Hungarian satirical journals with the reality behind the scenes. As such, we uncover the stereotypes which Hungarian nationalists tried to manipulate, and the limits to which they would actually go in 1905-6 in the face of their monarch's opposition. In the end, the article argues, it was Fejérváry who played a key role in partially resolving the crisis, revealing his dual loyalty to both 'Habsburg' and 'Hungary'. Yet the violent rhetoric of this year had a lasting impact on Hungarian political culture, ensuring that there was less space for compromise with socialists or other nationalities in the following decade.
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This article, published in the centennial year of Trianon, analyses afresh the British official viewpoints about the peace settlement imposed on Hungary after the First World War. It examines both favourable and critical opinions,... more
This article, published in the centennial year of Trianon, analyses afresh the British official viewpoints about the peace settlement imposed on Hungary after the First World War. It examines both favourable and critical opinions, revealing some new voices. While some of these had long experience in the Danubian region, many were influenced by what they observed there in the years 1918-21. Early 1920 was a key period in the ongoing British debate, but by 1921 there was a certain consensus and pragmatism that the Trianon settlement was permanent: there could be no restoration of greater Hungary.
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This paper analyses how Austria-Hungary identified and managed traitors during the First World War. It focuses on the legal basis for prosecution and gives case-studies of (a) the Sarajevo trials of Serbs, 1914-16; and (b) the trial of... more
This paper analyses how Austria-Hungary identified and managed traitors during the First World War. It focuses on the legal basis for prosecution and gives case-studies of (a) the Sarajevo trials of Serbs, 1914-16; and (b) the trial of the Czech politicians, Karel Kramar and Alois Rasin of 1915-16. It draws conclusions about the dangers of a state wielding the blunt instrument of 'treason', and especially the damaging impact on Habsburg legitimacy in 1914-18.
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This is a study of the major homosexual scandals in interwar Central Europe, and the foremost in Czechoslovakia. We learn about its causes and impact, how a leading Sudeten German nationalist's repressed homosexuality ended in his... more
This is a study of the major homosexual scandals in interwar Central Europe, and the foremost in Czechoslovakia. We learn about its causes and impact, how a leading Sudeten German nationalist's repressed homosexuality ended in his imprisonment and suicide.
This is a short study of morale and propaganda in wartime Austria-Hungary (1914-1918). For the Habsburg authorities, propaganda's usefulness for manipulating public opinion was only slowly realized. Various types of official and... more
This is a short study of morale and propaganda in wartime Austria-Hungary (1914-1918). For the Habsburg authorities, propaganda's usefulness for manipulating public opinion was only slowly realized. Various types of official and unofficial propaganda emerged in word, art, and moving image. But by 1918, despite increasing sophistication, the success of these efforts ultimately depended on the monarchy's ability to win the war and satisfy very diverse civilian aspirations.
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This paper, using material in several languages, examines how Yugoslav emigres - especially Croats and Slovenes - manoeuvred in Italy during the First World War. After some initial ventures with their Yugoslav cause they were forced to... more
This paper, using material in several languages, examines how Yugoslav emigres - especially Croats and Slovenes - manoeuvred in Italy during the First World War. After some initial ventures with their Yugoslav cause they were forced to leave the country in 1915 and only really returned in 1917, especially after the Caporetto disaster. The paper analyses different types of Yugoslav propaganda (within Italy and against Austria-Hungary) and shows why the Yugoslav mission was so difficult to achieve alongside an Italian regime which was simply using the South Slav message for its own national ends. In turn the Yugoslavs had major difficulties in matching their agenda to the reality that the multi-faceted 'Yugoslav' message was always so difficult to coordinate.
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This chapter in a book of essays studying the history of youth in the Bohemian/Czech lands in the 20th century examines the case of youth leadership as portrayed in the interwar German nationalist youth movements. It particularly offers a... more
This chapter in a book of essays studying the history of youth in the Bohemian/Czech lands in the 20th century examines the case of youth leadership as portrayed in the interwar German nationalist youth movements. It particularly offers a case study of the leading Sudeten German youth leader of his generation, Heinz Rutha (1897-1937). It reveals the leadership ideals, but also the tensions that could develop in a youth movement when those leadership aims did not quite match reality.
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A new study of the rhetoric of treason in pre-war Croatia including the most important European treason trial of the era. Shows how this seriously destabilized political culture and also undermined myth of Habsburg Rechtsstaat.
This chapter is a detailed analysis of morale and propaganda in Austria-Hungary during the First World War. It assesses how patriotic initiatives were managed, the role of artists and film, the impact of censorship, and the competition by... more
This chapter is a detailed analysis of morale and propaganda in Austria-Hungary during the First World War. It assesses how patriotic initiatives were managed, the role of artists and film, the impact of censorship, and the competition by 1918 with foreign propaganda attacks from East and West.
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This article sets out in detail for the first time the legal basis of treason in the late Habsburg empire. It then proceeds to evaluate how treason was managed and prosecuted during the First World War and then in the early years of the... more
This article sets out in detail for the first time the legal basis of treason in the late Habsburg empire. It then proceeds to evaluate how treason was managed and prosecuted during the First World War and then in the early years of the Successor States of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (using case studies from Slovakia and Croatia). It shows the large degree of legal continuity under these regimes at a time of high insecurity and state emergency, but highlights too the dangers for the Habsburg and Yugoslav (Serbian) regimes in particular in arbitrarily utilizing the treason weapon against their own state communities. The article concludes that the under-researched topic of 'treason' is a very useful touchstone for measuring the legal adherence of regimes/states to the ideal of the Rechtsstaat and especially for understanding their major security concerns in war and peace.
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This book chapter revisits how Franz Kafka behaved in the First World War, using his writings and other primary sources. It concludes that he was less apolitical and more (German-Austrian) patriotic than has hitherto been assumed by... more
This book chapter revisits how Franz Kafka behaved in the First World War, using his writings and other primary sources. It concludes that he was less apolitical and more (German-Austrian) patriotic than has hitherto been assumed by scholars. It sets his life in the context of developments in the Bohemian lands, concluding that Kafka was usually an 'engaged outsider' in the community.
This article, in draft before journal publication, is the first fruit of new research on the subject of early 20th-century Croatian lawyers (attorneys) and how they made the transition from a career in the Habsburg empire to one in the... more
This article, in draft before journal publication, is the first fruit of new research on the subject of early 20th-century Croatian lawyers (attorneys) and how they made the transition from a career in the Habsburg empire to one in the new state of Yugoslavia. The research so far, while showing the diversity of trajectories, suggests that many Croatian attorneys could successfully adjust in view of their own priorities and the peculiarities of the Croatian legal system (which survived until at least 1930). In other words, for many 1918 was not a complete watershed - legal continuity was mirrored in the continuity of many professional careers.
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A series of essays reassessing the causes and results of the Sarajevo murders of June 1914. The book especially seeks to explore the wider Balkan and international contexts, with contributions from historians from different disciplinary... more
A series of essays reassessing the causes and results of the Sarajevo murders of June 1914. The book especially seeks to explore the wider Balkan and international contexts, with contributions from historians from different disciplinary approaches. It also argues for the South Slav Question as a cause of the First World War due to the prominence given to this in the thinking of the Habsburg elite
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This is a study of the crime of treason as identified and prosecuted in Austria-Hungary in the late 19th century. It focuses on three types of traitor: the assassin; the socialist-anarchist; the nationalist. It argues that the Habsburg... more
This is a study of the crime of treason as identified and prosecuted in Austria-Hungary in the late 19th century. It focuses on three types of traitor: the assassin; the socialist-anarchist; the nationalist. It argues that the Habsburg empire continued to invoke treason law well into the constitutional era, and that a study of how treason was interpreted tells us much about the security fears of the ruling elite ans their mentality.