Die Annexion von Bosnien-Herzegowina und István Burián

The Habsburg Empire was approved of temporary occupy Bosnia-Herzegovina on the Berliner Conference.Accordingly to the Article 25 of the Berliner Treaty and the agreement between Vienna andIstanbul on April 1879, Bosnia-Herzegovina was still under sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. TheHabsburgs executives maintained this provisional status in both provinces until 1908. Furthermore,Bosnia-Herzegovina was a common administrative district (in German, Reichsland) between Austriaand Hungary. The Habsburg Empire finally declared the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina on6 October 1908. Alois Lexa Aehrenthal, Common Foreign Minister of the Habsburg Empire, becomethe focus of researcher for this theme. But I point out that it was István Burián, the Common FinanceMinister of the Habsburg Empire (1903–1912), who proposed the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovinafor the first time. Burián presented memoranda proposing the annexation to Emperor Franz Josephin May 1907 and April 1908. But the revolution of the Young Turks was a decisive opportunityto annexation. Therefore we should not overestimate Burián’s role in the annexation attempt. Buthis memoranda not only stimulated leading circles of the Habsburg Empire to consider annexationbut also helped matters develop more smoothly in Vienna after the revolution of the Young Turks.As Burián himself later wrote, we should regard him as the true proponent of annexation. Howeverthe analysis about an annexation law, that was founded on the Habsburg’s succession law (in German,Pragmatische Sanktion), proves that the decision-making process for imperial affairs throughthe common cabinet and the minister conference was very complicated and lacked a coordinatingfunction. A full account of annexation reveals the pluralistic and inefficient policymaking of theHabsburg Empire under dual system.