The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - ELTE BTK Történelem Szakos Portál

Prętkiewicz, Przemysław
The system of international connections by Central European
countries on the eve of the outbreak of war
The result of the World War I in Central Europe was the sudden appear of
national countries, some of which did not have any or had just a short tradition
of statehood. Those countries needed to form their international connections
and arrange relations, especially with neighbourhood states. The only country
which existed before the Great War was Hungary, although within the Dual
Monarchy it was not the fully independent state. However because of the
process of mapping out the borders even Hungary seemed to be newly founded
state. Long period of existence within multiethnic empires caused that there
were many areas with great variety of nations. These areas and also the ones
which historically had belonged to some of them became a bone of contention.
At the beginning we need to know what the basic relations between Central
European countries were. Already aforementioned Hungary was potentially the
biggest threat for the stabilisation in the region after the War. Its revisionism
aimed in the territory of Czechoslovakia, Romania and Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia since 1929). Only Poland had at that time
good relations with Hungary, which was the effect of common historical fight
for independence. 1 At that time Poland had a border conflict in Cieszyn Silesia
with Czechoslovakia, which opposed these countries. Similar problems
affected on the relations with Lithuania, where there was a problem of
supremacy over Vilnius. Thanks to the military and political cooperation after
the Great War Poland created good relations with Romania. 2
To protect themselves from Hungarian revisionism which I have already
mentioned Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia signed an agreement in July 1920.
One year later similar treaties where established between those countries and
Romania - with Czechoslovakia in April 1921, with Yugoslavia in June 1921.
What is more the agreement between Romania and Yugoslavia had an
additional reason, which was the potential Bulgarian revisionism in the areas of
Macedonia and Dobruja. 3 This system of connections was known as the Little
Entente, although it was not the formal name. However the cooperation
between these three countries was not going well. The problems which spoiled
it were territorial incoherence and different powerful neighbours - for
Czechoslovakia it was Germany, for Romania - Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic (part of Soviet Union since 1922) and for Yugoslavia - Italy.
1 Own notes from the remembrance meeting dedicated to Polish refugees during the World
War II in the Ipel’ valley, Conference Center of Polish Armed Forces, 19 March 2010.
2 WILLAUME, Małgorzata: Rumunia. Trio, Warsaw, 2004. 126.
3 ESSEN, Andrzej: Polityka Czechosłowacji w Europie Środkowej w latach 1918-1932,
Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Pedagogicznej, Cracow, 2006. 64-65.
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