Mitteleuropa
From Free net encyclopedia
Mitteleuropa (Middle-Europe) is a German term approximately equal to Central Europe. In Germany and Austria, the term usually refers to the territory covered by the states
and often includes also regions that were part of Austria-Hungary, i.e.
- Hungary
- (parts of) Serbia and Montenegro
- (parts of) Romania
- Croatia
- Bosnia-Hercegovina
- (small parts of) Italy
Outside of Germany, the concept of Mitteleuropa may be best known for that policy of the Central Powers during World War I which assumed the creation of several buffer states in Central Europe, conquered from Imperial Russia and commonly viewed as puppet states. One of Germany's war aims in World War I was to create an economic sphere of influence in Mitteleuropa. By their creation, growing dissent in the occupied areas could be answered, and resources to fight the war on the Western Front could be used more efficiently.
The policy was realized after signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in which Russia ceded most of the areas occupied by Germany and Austria-Hungary to the respective countries. Among the states thus created by the Central Powers were:
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland liberated themselves after the collapse of Imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I. Soon they gained international recognition and participated in signing of the Versailles Treaty as members of the Entente. The other two (Belarus and Ukraine) were taken over by Soviet Russia and became Republics of the Soviet Union.de:Mitteleuropa