Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 35. (1982)
WILSON, Keith: Isolating the Isolator. Cartwright, Grey and the seduction of Austria-Hungary 1908–1912
182 Keith Wilson others as being ‘a powerful thinker’68), his ideas did not prevail. In the crisis of 1914 British policy, as on previous occasions, displayed a marked reluctance to contemplate mediation between St Petersburg and Vienna, and a distinct unwillingness to credit Vienna with a will independent of Berlin. Yet in April 1913 Nicolson had written to Cartwright that ‘it is at Vienna that the decision really rests as to whether there is to be peace or war’69). And, retrospectively, Cartwright’s successor at Vienna, Maurice de Bunsen, placed the greatest responsibility for the outbreak of war upon the Austrian government70). On the copy in the Cartwright papers of the letter Cartwright wrote to Nicolson during the Agadir crisis, to the effect that Aehrenthal might want to make some agreement with Russia just to show that it could be done without passing by way of Berlin, there is the following pencil minute, from an unknown hand: ‘This is where Edward Grey quite misunderstood the whole situation and where he lost an opportunity of settling the Balkan Question before war broke out’71). APPENDIX No. 1: Fairfax L. Cartwright to Sir Edward Grey, Munich, 1 August 1908. PRO FO 371/399/27154. Confidential. The battle of Sadowa and the catastrophe of Sedan were two great blows dealt at roman catholic political influence on the continent which disturbed the balance of power between Protestant Prussia on one side and of Austria-Hungary and France on the other. The effects of these blows were so overwhelming that they are still seriously felt in international politics. Since the fall of Napoleon HI, France has drifted into anticlericalism, but Austria has remained roman catholic, but roman catholic in so apathetic a manner that the Vatican almost treats her as a quantité négligeable, and turns towards the Protestant emperor out of fear of receiving from him some serious check. This withdrawal of Austria into herself - this apparent loss of confidence in her possibilities and in her future — have caused Austrian statesmen to allow their country little by little to drift into the arms of Germany from a vague fear of Russia on one side and of Italy on the other. Germany, however, did not obtain her ascendancy over Austria in a single day; so long as Count Andrássy lived, Austria-Hungary retained a personality of her own in international affairs. If we look back to the year 1872 - the year of the first meeting of the three emperors in Berlin — we find that the situation of the Great Powers to each other has since then very materially changed, and that therefore a vista of possibilities opens out at present to an energetic and enterprising diplomacy. With reference to this matter I would venture to call your attention to a few passages 68) PRO FO 371/260/19056: Minute by Hardinge on Cartwright to Grey 8 June 1907. 69) Cartwright MSS: Nicolson to Cartwright 30 April 1913. 70) Christopher H. D. Howard (ed.) The Vienna Diary of Berta de Bunsen, 28 June-17 August 1914 in Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research 51 no. 124 (November 1978) 218. 71) Cartwright MSS: Minute on Cartwright to Nicolson (copy) 21 July 1911.
