AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 959 



Agriculture. Nearly 88 per cent of the whole population is engaged in agriculture. 

 The area under the chief crops and their yield in 1911 were: 



Cattle-breeding and sheep farming are important. In 1910 there were 2,499,422 sheep, 

 1,393,068 goats, 1,308,930 cattle, 527,270 pigs, and 221,971 horses. 



Trade. The special trade of the provinces (with Austria-Hungary and foreign countries) 

 amounted in 1910 to 6,025,000 imports and 5,645,000 exports. There are 1220 m. of 

 railways open for traffic, and the construction of about 200 m. of new railways was started 

 in 1912. (O. BRILLIANT.) 



II. POLITICAL HISTORY, 1909-1912 



The Austro- Hungarian Monarchy. The ene r getic and aggressive policy of Baron 

 Aerenthal in annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina (Oct. 13, 1908) was certainly expensive, 

 _. _ but it was successful, and its very success won public opinion both in the 



tion of Dual Monarchy itself and without. To soothe Turkey's susceptibilities 



Bosnia- a sum of over two millions sterling was paid to her (Feb. 26, 1909), but when 

 Herzegov aa. g erv j a an( j Montenegro also put forward claims for compensation, it seemed 

 for a time that war was inevitable, seeing that Baron Aerenthal would recognise no 

 good ground for the claims. It only demonstrated the strength of the Triple Alliance 

 that Russia, on the recommendation of Germany, withdrew her support from Servia, 

 and when Servia abated her claim (March 30, 1909) it was no difficult task to settle 

 matters with Montenegro (April 6, 1909). The step, pregnant with so much for 

 Austria-Hungary, which Baron Aerenthal took in October of 1908 was an accomplished 

 fact by the beginning of April of 1909, and the conferment upon him of the title of Count 

 by the Emperor on the i8th of August 1909, was a fitting reward for his work. 



To maintain the status quo in the Balkans was the aim of Austria-Hungary through- 

 out the years 1910 and 1911; to maintain the status quo was the policy bequeathed by 

 Count Aerenthal on his death in 1912 to his successor, Count Berchtold. 1 



Count -p ne new F ore ig n Minister addressed the Delegations for the first time in 



AereathaPs .. _ ... 



successor. April 1912, but not until September 24, 1912 did he make a striking pro- 

 nouncement. It was to the effect that as affairs in Macedonia and Albania 

 were becoming " troubled," Austria-Hungary had "proposed to the Powers an exchange 

 of ideas on the Balkan situation." The object in view was to encourage Turkey in the 

 reforms it was then inaugurating to restore order in its European possessions 



?,"? t e % lt ' It was all to be done " by means of the unanimous cohesion of the Powers 

 told s Balkan ....... iri " i i T> n 



policy. on the basis of maintaining peace and of the status quo in the Balkans. 



In short, it was intended to promote an agreement between all the Powers 

 in order to find a via media between the sovereign rights of Turkey and the legitimate 

 interests of the Balkan peoples. All the Governments signified their approval of the 

 suggestion. But it came too late. By the middle of October hostilities between the 

 allied Balkan States and Turkey had already commenced. The results on Austro- 

 Hungarian foreign policy are dealt with elsewhere. It remains to trace the course of 

 domestic politics in Austria and Hungary from 1909. 



Austria. Whereas in 1909 the prestige of Austria-Hungary as a Power in Europe 

 was . enhanced by the policy of Count Aerenthal, its internal condition was greatly 

 The lan- troubled by reason of the continued racial strife and opposition. In 

 guageques- Austria the main point at issue continued to be, as it had long been, the 

 ^em'i" B ~ I an g ua 8 e question. On February 3, 1909, two laws were introduced into 

 the Reichsrat, regulating the language question in Bohemia and intending 



1 Count Leopold Berchtold, born March 18, 1863; Secretary of Embassy in Paris, 1895; 

 Councillor of Embassy in London, 1899; at St. Petersburg, 1903; Ambassador at St. Peters- 

 burg, 1906; Foreign Minister of the Dual Monarchy February 19, 1912. 



