The Undermining of Austria-Hungary: The Battle for Hearts and Minds [Hardcover]

This is a major new contribution to the historiography of the First World War. It examines the lively battle of ideas which helped to destroy Austria-Hungary. It also assesses, for the first time, the weapon of 'front propaganda' as used by and against the Empire on the Italian and Eastern Fronts. Based on material in eight languages, the work challenges accepted views about Britain's primacy in the field of propaganda, while casting fresh light on the creation of Yugoslavia and the viability of the Habsburg Empire in its last years.List of Tables, Illustrations and Maps List of Abbreviations Preface A Theory of Front Propaganda Austria-Hungary and the Control of Wartime Morale The Experience of Propaganda against Russia Austria-Hungary's Campaign against Italy The Seeds of Italy's Campaign Italy's Campaign against Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary on the Defensive The Climax of Italian Psychological Warfare Disintegration Conclusion Appendix Bibliography Index

'It is a long awaited, very scholarly, authoritative, and intensively researched piece of work that expertly fills a large gap in the historiography of the First World War. It is a major contribution to our understanding of the Austro-Italian front (the most neglected of the major theatres of the war), of the break-up of the Habsburg Monarchy, and of front propaganda (which has previously been studied almost entirely in the context of the Western Front).

Despite the complexity of its material, it is clearly and attractively written. It deals with topics that had been almost wholly neglected by English-language writers and is the product of years of work in an impressive variety of languages and archival sources.' - Professor David Stevenson, The London School of Economics and Political Science

This is the best and most significant book on a topic related to the Austro-Hungarian armed forces...required reading for all scholars and students...' - American Historical RevlC$