Izvorni znanstveni članak
Ivo Pilar and R. W. Seton-Watson. Two Views on the Southern-Slavic Question
Stjepan MATKOVIĆ
; Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb
Sažetak
The author of this paper compares the views of Ivo Pilar and Robert
William Seton-Watson, two brilliant publicists, on the Southern-Slavic
question as the key problem of the organisation of Southeast Europe in the
period between the end of the 19th century and 1918. Pilar represents the
views of a distinguished Croatian intellectual, who seeks answers that
would meet the interests of his own people, while Seton-Watson mirrors a
reputable liberal from a great nation dealing with the fates of smaller
nations. The author shows that up to World War I both men sought a
solution to the problem — particularly to the issues of the Croatian-Serbian
relations — exclusively within the framework of the Habsburg Monarchy.
Both men advocated a change in the internal organisation of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire on the basis of greater national rights. Both men also
held that the Monarchy was indispensable for the preservation of stability
and international peace in Europe, particularly within the context of the
relations between Germany and Russia. In Pilar’s view it was important to
satisfy the principle of uniting the Croatian states into a single
administrative unit and then preserve the unit within the Monarchy, which
would serve as principal protection from all external pretensions, i.e. from
the Italian and Serbian expansions. Seton-Watson maintained that the
trialistic formula would help overcome the conflicts between the Croatian
and Serbian nationalisms. Moreover, owing to its civilisational advantage,
the trialism in question would exert attractive power over the Kingdom of
Serbia and the other parts of the Balkans. Besides, this triadism would
strengthen the Monarchy and make it become more independent from its
alliance with Germany. In Seton-Watson it is obvious that he started
changing his views after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in
1908, when he gradually realised that a conflict between German and
British interests in Southeast Europe was inevitable, i.e. that the Austro-
Hungarian Empire could no longer be a British ally since it was, in actual
fact, an appendage of the German Empire. During World War I Seton-
Watson took the opinion that, in order to solve the Southern-Slavic
problem and establish wider international relations, it was essential to
constitute an independent Yugoslavian state outside the Monarchy within
“New Europe”, while Pilar cemented his view that the Monarchy was the
only right solution for the interests of Croatians, emphasising that
attempting to integrate Croatians and Serbians on the ruins of Austro-
Hungary was unnatural and contrary to historical arguments.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
67579
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.11.2006.
Posjeta: 2.606 *