MITTELEUROPA: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF GERMANIC IDEAS OF CENTRAL EUROPE UNTIL 1919

Autor razmatra germanske ideje Srednje Europe do kraja Prvog svjetskog rata. Najprije ukazuje na različita značenja pojma Srednje Europe i na njegovu (ne)prisutnost u enciklopedijama i leksikografskim priručnicima. Zatim je prikazao ideje Srednje Europe njemačkih i austrijskih mislilaca, koje je određuju kao različite načine političke, kulturne i gospodarske organizacije srednjoeuropskog prostora. Pokazalo se kako su germanske ideje Srednje Europe nastojale politički povezati razdvojeni njemački etnos, zaštititi ga od utjecaja “dekadentnog” Zapada, te stvoriti branu prema Rusiji. Zaključio je kako germanske ideje Srednje Europe u osnovi imaju predodžbu njemačke povijesti kao “posebnog puta” (der Sonderweg). Stoga su, zasnovane na romantici i odbijanju liberalnodemokratskih vrijednosti, uzrokovanim slabošću njemačkog građanstva, mladoj naciji nastojale zajamčiti ekskluzivan prostor, Srednju Europu, te joj osigurati svjetskopovijesni značaj.The author looks into the Germanic ideas of Central Europe until the end of World War One. First, he reviews different meanings of the term “Central Europe” and its omission or inclusion in encyclopaedias and lexicons. Then he goes on to describe the concepts of Central Europe by German and Austrian thinkers, who define it as various ways of political, cultural and economic organization of the Central European region. The Germanic ideas of Central Europe tried to politically link the divided German ethnos, protect it from the influence of the “decadent” West and create a bulwark towards Russia. The author concludes that the underlying base of the Germanic ideas of Central Europe is German history as a “special path” (der Sonderweg). That is why they are grounded in romanticism and the rebuttal of liberal and democratic values, ensuing from the fatuity of German bourgeoisie. These ideas were proselytised with the intention of securing for the young nation its exclusive space, Central Europe, and ensuring its place in world history