Carinthian Plebiscite
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The Carinthian Plebiscite (German: Kärntner Volksabstimmung, Slovene: Koroški plebiscit) on October 10, 1920 determined the border between Austria and the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) after World War I. In particular it divided Carinthia, formerly a province of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy, in two parts.
[edit] History
After the ruin of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in World War I, new states arose on its territory. Among these there was an internationally recognized State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which was created on October 29, 1918, but was incorporated in the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on December 1, 1918.
Determination of borders between the new countries was a problematic issue that was not always solved peacefully. The "Carinthian question" became an issue in the closing days of World War I. The principle of self-determination, called for by Woodrow Wilson, was taken up by the various nationalities that were going to form the successor states in the wake of the defunct Habsburg empire. Events in Carinthia began to unfold rapidly, beginning with territorial claims by the Slovenian National Assembly on October 17, 1918. These claims where rejected by the Provisorial Provincial Carinthian Assembly on October 25, 1918. On November 11, 1918 the Provincial Carinthian Assembly demands self-determination, which in this case amounted to demanding a plebiscite, for a region with a mixed population. The question was whether the strong Slovene majority in the province's southern region adjoining the Karawanken frontier would carry the vote for union with Austria or whether they mainly wished to join the newly arisen South Slavic state. This was to large extent a consequence of rising national awareness under the multi-national Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy and dreams of autonomy, which Slovenians had not experienced since the 9th century, when the principality of Carantania lost its autonomy. A common state with other south Slavic nations seemed at that time the most acceptable compromise towards fulfillment of national strivings.
With the occupation of Lower Carinthia by Yugoslav troops in 1919 the conflict evolved into clashes of arms. The fight to preserve the Karawanken frontier began. A nine-day American commission, the "Miles mission," scouted the disputed region between the river and the mountains in January/February 1919 and made the crucial recommendation that the Karawanken frontier should be retained, and thereby opened up the possibility of a plebiscite. The Yugoslavs pressed for a border on the Drava; the U.S. delegates spoke in favor of the preservation of the unity of the Klagenfurt Basin and succeeded in convincing the British and French delegations.
The Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria in 1919 should have determined the border between Austria and the Kingdom of SCS. The treaty determined that the Meža valley (German Mießtal) and the area around Dravograd (German Unterdrauburg) and Jezersko parts of Carinthia go to the Kingdom of SCS (later Yugoslavia), whereas the wider area around the Klagenfurt basin should be determined by a plebiscite.
The winners in World War I wanted to solve conflicts peacefully and they divided Carinthia into two zones, A in the south and B in the north, with the intention of later organising a referendum about annexation to either Austria or Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
The population in zone A consisted predominantly of Slovenes. According to the Austrian census from 1910 Slovenes in this area represented nearly 70% of the population, while the actual number of Slovene speaking people was probably even much higher. The German speaking part of the population was concentrated mostly in Völkermarkt and certain smaller localities, especially Bleiburg (Pliberk) and Ferlach (Borovlje).
Before the plebiscite both sides lead an intensive propaganda campaign. The Austrian propaganda emphasised economic benefits of maintaining the unity of the Klagenfurt Basin, as well as appealing to feelings of Carinthian unity and brotherhood between the Slovene and the German speaking people of Carinthia. The Austrian propaganda was conducted in the Slovene language and was promising that the Slovene language would be equal to German in Austria. It had an anti-Yugoslav tendency, picturing the conditions in the Kingdom of SCS as chaotic. The Yugoslav side was almost exclusively using arguments that emphasised Slovene national awareness and was extremely anti-German. It turned to economic issues only in the last weeks before the plebiscite. It was not capable of using the political instability of the young Austrian state and its then unenviable position in the international community to its own advantage.
Despite the six month term determined by the Treaty of Saint-Germain, the plebiscite did not take place in the A zone until October 10, 1920, with 22,025 (59,1 %) votes for Austria and 15,279 (40,9%) for the other option. This means that also a great number of Carinthian Slovenes must have voted for Austria. Because the Austrian side won, the referendum was not carried out in the northern zone B.
The plebiscite determined the border between Austria and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The border remained unchanged after World War II, when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was succeeded by Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Since the downfall of Yugoslavia, the border has separated Austria and Slovenia.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- A hybrid map of the region from Google Maps
- Detailed about Carinthian Plebiscite (Slovene)
