Mexico and Austria-Hungary: a difficult path to normalize relations

Importance. The reasons for the restoration of interstate contacts between Mexico and Austria- Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century are analyzed and their evolution during the “porphyriate”, the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1917 and the World War I is traced.

Materials and Methods. Based on a critical analysis of domestic and foreign research literature using historical-genetic and historical-comparative methods, the course of resolving the longstanding interstate conflict and the evolution of military-political and trade relations between Mexico and Austria-Hungary in the last third of the 19th century – 1918 are traced.

Results and Discussion. The development of military-political and economic contacts between Mexico City and Vienna, interrupted after the execution of Maximilian Habsburg in 1867, took place after their resumption in 1901, despite the initial dissatisfaction expressed by the Hungarian parliamentary opposition with the infringement of national economic interests on a mutually beneficial basis. The reasons for this were both the internal needs of Mexico, which was in dire need of human resources, and the desire of the business circles of Austria-Hungary to join the struggle for the application of capital and markets overseas.

Conclusion. During the revolution of 1910–1917, special attention was paid to Austria-Hungary’s increasing arms exports to Mexico, in the context of which Vienna considered the possibility of recognizing a particular political regime. The leadership of the Habsburg Monarchy also showed interest in Mexico as a possible base for its navy overseas. Austria-Hungary’s diplomacy in Mexico City during the World War I acted in line with Germany’s efforts to involve Mexico in a military conflict with the United States in order to prevent them from joining the Entente.

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