The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

Meanwhile the Southern Slavs within the empire were subjected to special treatment at the hands of the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy.

The whole Southern Slav population was now suspect in the eyes of the Viennese high circles, and a pliant bureaucracy set up against it its vast arsenal of oppressive measures. A whole nation was struck at through its leaders, and every prominent man became subject to strict vigilance or persecution. The system of “ frightfulness’? was applied by German agents and officials before the present war. In the midst of the annexation crisis, on the eve of war with Serbia, high state officials and accredited diplomats were not ashamed to hatch wily plots against the life and honour of their own citizens, hiring false witnesses and forging documents which should bring about their condemnation. Amongst various proceedings inaugurated against many prominent Serbs in the monarchy, one that became world-famous was the monstrous trial of fifty-three Serbs, of all social conditions, who were accused of high treason in 1909 and brought up for trial at Zagreb, and with which were connected the proceedings of Professor Friedjung at Vienna. Fortunately for the accused persons, after long months of imprisonment and weary trials the clumsy forgeries were so discredited that the trial threatened to become a world scandal, thanks to the presence of the representatives of many leading papers in Europe,

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