Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Identity</strong> construction <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Balkan region - Austrian <strong>in</strong>terests and <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> a historical perspective<br />
New imperial sett<strong>in</strong>g after <strong>the</strong> Austro-Hungarian “Compromise”: 1878/1881<br />
The years 1878 and 1881 demonstrate a cultural shift <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Austro-Hungarian<br />
advance <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Balkans. The Berl<strong>in</strong> Congress of 1878 was convened by <strong>the</strong> European great<br />
powers to correct <strong>the</strong> Treaty of San Stefano, where <strong>the</strong> Russian sphere of <strong>in</strong>fluence after<br />
<strong>the</strong> Russian-Turkish war had become unacceptably strong for Vienna and London. The<br />
Berl<strong>in</strong> Congress functioned as a European readjustment after <strong>the</strong> defeat and withdrawal<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Ottoman Empire from big parts of Sou<strong>the</strong>astern Europe. It acknowledged <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>dependence of those states which had seceded from <strong>the</strong> Ottoman Empire (Serbia,<br />
Montenegro, Romania and Bulgaria). Conversely, o<strong>the</strong>r regions and nations were<br />
exempted from state-build<strong>in</strong>g, and Ottoman dom<strong>in</strong>ation was replaced by a Western<br />
European form <strong>in</strong> order to prevent <strong>the</strong> new nation states from becom<strong>in</strong>g too strong and<br />
to prevent Russia, which was confirmed as a protective power for Orthodox believers,<br />
from becom<strong>in</strong>g too <strong>in</strong>fluential. In this situation <strong>the</strong> Habsburg Empire was guaranteed<br />
occupation of Bosnia and Herzegov<strong>in</strong>a, whereas Great Brita<strong>in</strong> took Cyprus and Tsarist<br />
Bessarabia also made territorial ga<strong>in</strong>s. Incidentally, 130 years after <strong>the</strong> congress, <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
aga<strong>in</strong> no stability <strong>in</strong> all <strong>the</strong>se three regions.<br />
The year 1881 marks <strong>the</strong> end of a period which lasted 350 years start<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> “Acta<br />
conf<strong>in</strong>is” as <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> Habsburg military border with <strong>the</strong> Ottoman Empire.<br />
This “Vojna Kraj<strong>in</strong>a” was <strong>in</strong>stitutionalized <strong>in</strong> 1535 by K<strong>in</strong>g Ferd<strong>in</strong>and I, extended under<br />
<strong>the</strong> “Statuta Valachorum” by Emperor Ferd<strong>in</strong>and II <strong>in</strong> 1630, and reached its biggest<br />
extension <strong>in</strong> 1700, when 1.2 million <strong>in</strong>habitants lived <strong>in</strong> its almost 50,000 square<br />
kilometres. From <strong>the</strong> Adriatic Sea along <strong>the</strong> Danube to Transylvania and <strong>the</strong> Carpathian<br />
mounta<strong>in</strong>s a strip 1,800 kilometres <strong>in</strong> length followed <strong>the</strong> rules of <strong>the</strong> “Konf<strong>in</strong>”/Vojna<br />
Kraj<strong>in</strong>a. This territory was directly adm<strong>in</strong>istered by <strong>the</strong> Imperial Military Council (first<br />
<strong>in</strong> Graz, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong> Vienna) without <strong>in</strong>terference from local landowners, who lacked feudal<br />
authority over <strong>the</strong> population. The Vojna Kraj<strong>in</strong>a was mostly populated by Orthodox,<br />
“Pravoslav” emigrants, who had fled <strong>the</strong> Ottoman Empire dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> centuries of<br />
Ottoman advance. They were entitled to live as “free peasants” and, <strong>in</strong> exchange, had<br />
to serve as soldiers not only aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> Ottomans <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> south but also <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Silesian<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>r wars. Their religious beliefs were tolerated by <strong>the</strong> authorities and <strong>the</strong> Vienna<br />
adm<strong>in</strong>istration waived its endeavours for unification with Rome as it had done <strong>in</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
cases. In 1691, when a big group of Serbian emigrants settled <strong>in</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn Hungary, a first<br />
Pravo-Slavic metropolis was established <strong>in</strong> Sremski Karlovci, represent<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g<br />
of religious tolerance <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Catholic empire. Inner social and political contradictions<br />
quickly arose, when Catholic Croatian landowners and <strong>the</strong> Catholic Church tried<br />
to oppose <strong>the</strong> settlement of an Orthodox, Serbian population <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
traditional sphere of <strong>in</strong>fluence. But <strong>the</strong> Viennese court rejected all <strong>the</strong>se petitions<br />
and cont<strong>in</strong>ued to privilege and also to use <strong>the</strong> Serbian “peasant soldiers”, at <strong>the</strong> same<br />
time work<strong>in</strong>g to m<strong>in</strong>imize <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fluence of <strong>the</strong> local nobility. The Austro-Hungarian<br />
Compromise of 1867 caused <strong>the</strong> abolition of <strong>the</strong> Vojna Kraj<strong>in</strong>a <strong>in</strong> 1881 when it was<br />
submitted to <strong>the</strong> Hungarian authorities rul<strong>in</strong>g Croatia. The disappearance of <strong>the</strong><br />
15