Czech Corridor
Encyclopedia
The Czech Corridor was a failed proposal during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
in the aftermath of World War I
. The proposal would have carved out an area of land to connect Kingdom of Yugoslavia
and Czechoslovakia
. A different name often given is Czech-Yugoslav Territorial Corridor. It is called the Czech Corridor, since representatives of Yugoslavia at the Peace Conference stated that they would prefer it be given to the Czechs. The proposal was rejected by the conference.
The corridor would have consisted of Burgenland
, and other areas that would be found along the future border of Austria
and Hungary
. The area is sometimes called Western Transdanubia
. In a February 1916 memorandum to the French government, Tomas Masaryk
stated that the corridor would correct "The division of the Czechoslovaks and Yugoslavs" arising from the
9th century Magyar invasion.
The corridor would be 200 kilometers long and 80 kilometers wide. The corridor would have cut through four Hungarian counties
, Moson
, Sopron
, Vas
and Zala
. However there exist variant proposals that would have made the area significantly larger.
It is unlikely that the Slavic states could have gotten this proposal accepted using the principles of self-determination
, since of the 1,171,000 people living in the area, 662,000 were Hungarians, 220,000 were Slavs and 289,000 others (mostly Germans
). According to the Czechs, the main purpose of the corridor was to separate the Germans from East and Central Europe
. They also mentioned that this would benefit the French
. Most speculate that it was intended to give Czechoslovakia a larger share of the Danube
in order to make Bratislava
into a great Danube harbor, this would have isolated Hungary even more. The Czechoslovak delegates claimed that Bratislava was the ancient capital of Slovakia, omitting the fact that Bratislava was for four centuries the capital of Hungary.
This proposal was supported by supporters of pan-Slavic ideology as it would have created a joint border between two states that represented Slavic
unity (Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). Even more pan-Slavic supporters said that it would connect the Northern (Western Slavs) with the Southern Slavs. This idea was also supported by Croat nationalists who wanted the Croats living in Burgenland and those Croats living in a couple of villages in Slovakia
to be part of the Yugoslav state. The existence of such an area was supported by those who believed that since Austria-Hungary
no longer existed, there should be no reason for Austria and Hungary to share a border.
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
in the aftermath of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The proposal would have carved out an area of land to connect Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. A different name often given is Czech-Yugoslav Territorial Corridor. It is called the Czech Corridor, since representatives of Yugoslavia at the Peace Conference stated that they would prefer it be given to the Czechs. The proposal was rejected by the conference.
The corridor would have consisted of Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
, and other areas that would be found along the future border of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The area is sometimes called Western Transdanubia
Transdanubia
Transdanubia is a traditional region of Hungary.-Traditional interpretation:The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube river , the Drava and Mura rivers and the foothills of the Alps roughly along the border between Hungary and Austria .Transdanubia comprises the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron,...
. In a February 1916 memorandum to the French government, Tomas Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...
stated that the corridor would correct "The division of the Czechoslovaks and Yugoslavs" arising from the
9th century Magyar invasion.
The corridor would be 200 kilometers long and 80 kilometers wide. The corridor would have cut through four Hungarian counties
Counties of Hungary
Hungary is subdivided administratively into 20 regions which are the 19 counties and the capital city : Budapest...
, Moson
Moson
Moson was a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary in present-day eastern Austria and northwestern Hungary, on the right side of the Danube river...
, Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
, Vas
Vas
Vas is the name of an administrative county in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. The county is a part of the Centrope Project.-Geography:...
and Zala
Zala
Zala is the name of an administrative county in Hungary. Itlies in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia and Slovenia and the Hungarian counties Vas, Veszprém and Somogy. The capital of Zala county is Zalaegerszeg. Its area is 3784 km²...
. However there exist variant proposals that would have made the area significantly larger.
It is unlikely that the Slavic states could have gotten this proposal accepted using the principles of self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
, since of the 1,171,000 people living in the area, 662,000 were Hungarians, 220,000 were Slavs and 289,000 others (mostly Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
). According to the Czechs, the main purpose of the corridor was to separate the Germans from East and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. They also mentioned that this would benefit the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Most speculate that it was intended to give Czechoslovakia a larger share of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in order to make Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
into a great Danube harbor, this would have isolated Hungary even more. The Czechoslovak delegates claimed that Bratislava was the ancient capital of Slovakia, omitting the fact that Bratislava was for four centuries the capital of Hungary.
This proposal was supported by supporters of pan-Slavic ideology as it would have created a joint border between two states that represented Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
unity (Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). Even more pan-Slavic supporters said that it would connect the Northern (Western Slavs) with the Southern Slavs. This idea was also supported by Croat nationalists who wanted the Croats living in Burgenland and those Croats living in a couple of villages in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
to be part of the Yugoslav state. The existence of such an area was supported by those who believed that since Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
no longer existed, there should be no reason for Austria and Hungary to share a border.
Further reading
- Margaret MacMillan, Richard Holbrooke: Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World, Random House, 2002. ISBN 0-375-76052-0 http://books.google.com/books?id=5NYdwyI5acQC&pgis=1
- Oskar KrejčíOskar KrejcíOskar Krejčí is Czech political scientist, the author of approximately twenty books and more than thousand articles in the area of political science....
, Martin C. Styan: Geopolitics of the Central European Region, 2005, ISBN 8022408522, 9788022408523 http://books.google.com/books?id=38ciAe4J4VMC - Janko Bekić: Die Entstehung der Ersten Tschechoslowakischen Republik und die Pläne zur Errichtung eines "Slawischen Korridors", Wien, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2006, AC05316414
