Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The treaty was signed at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, on 10 September 1919 by representatives of Austria and the Allied Powers. It entered into force on 16 July 1920. The settlement followed the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and formed part of the Paris peace treaties that concluded the First World War. In diplomatic records it is also identified as the Treaty of Peace with Austria.

The treaty formalized the breakup of the Habsburg Empire and recognized the independence of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later known as Yugoslavia. It assigned territories including eastern Galicia, Trento, southern Tyrol, Trieste, and Istria to successor states. Plebiscites determined the disposition of southern Carinthia and the town of Sopron. These provisions helped define the political map of Central Europe after the war.

The Covenant of the League of Nations was included in the treaty. Austria’s long-service volunteer army was limited to 30,000 personnel, and the Austro-Hungarian navy was broken up and distributed among the Allies. The treaty expressly prohibited Austria from uniting with Germany without the consent of the Council of the League of Nations. Austria was made liable for reparations, though Britannica reports that no money was ever paid.

Austrian officials objected that parts of the settlement contradicted self-determination, particularly where ethnic Germans came under Czechoslovak or Italian rule, and protested the restriction on union with Germany. The new Austrian state was financially and militarily weak. The treaty’s territorial, military, and political terms became part of the difficult postwar environment in Central Europe. Historical interpretations of the settlement reflect both the creation of successor states and the concerns of populations affected by new borders.