The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

and of controlling the acts of Government, but there is no spirit of liberty and independence in them. They have never protected anybody, and have always been hoodwinked and controlled by the Government. Thanks to the miserable conditions prevailing throughout the Empire and the artificially fostered animosity among its different nationalities, there exists no spirit of public control, and nobody expects or hopes anything valuable from its Parliaments. In Austria the absolutism is very little veiled by frequent application of Article XIV of the Constitution, which provides the Government with constitutional means to govern without a Parliament and against the spirit of the Constitution, whilst, owing to the employment of brutal force and unheard of corruption, the parliamentary elections in Hungary have always returned a large majority to the Government in power.

To every keen and independent observer Austria-Hungary was in a state of permanent decay and her maintenance could be ensured not only by a vigilant bureaucratic machinery and powerful military organisation inside the Empire, but also by her alliance with Germany. This last factor proved fatal for Austria-Hungary and surely will be instrumental in her utter ruin and final disruption. In its feebleness the Hapsburg dynasty, relying upon the tremendous strength of Germany and feeling protected in the shade of

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