Baština (Jan 2019)
The economic breakthrough of Germany toward South-East in the eve of WWI: The example of Yugoslavia
Abstract
Yugoslav state, from its appearance the first of December 1918, was to be found in paradoxal situation as regards its economic and political partners at international plan. Although it was linked with France and Versailles' system in international relations, its main foreign trade partners were yesterday's rivals - Austria and Germany, and Italy, from which a constant war danger was threatening. One of the consequences of the Great Economic Crisis, which was felt in Europe in the 1930s ruinously, was the arrival of the Nazis on power in Germany in 1933. In the quest of the own roads toward the crisis overcome, and defining of new political relationships in Europe, Germany directed its economy toward South-East. Until the end of the 1930s, its economic dominance at this area became absolute so that none of the states of South-East could organize its economy without the co-operation with Germany. Germany's dominance was clearly expressed in the example of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Almost one third of the Yugoslav export was placed in Germany, and even the half of the import was of this Middle European state origin. For commercial degree of economic dependence France and Great Britain bore the responsibility, which did not support their politics toward Germany by the commercial actions directed toward the countries of South East. In that way, Germany was facilitated the breakthrough toward South -Eastern Europe, which enabled before the beginning of WWII not only economic fundament, but political allies as well.
