Nationalities Factor in the Activities of Intelligence Agencies in Switzerland during World War I

Abstract

In the course of the First World War, ‘the nationalities question’ exploded in Eastern Europe.By the fall of 1918, the Eastern Europe of the three empires had collapsed, and national stateswere rising. During the war, the nationalities question as perceived in Switzerland, a neutralcountry, had developed from an initial concern about the loyalty of the minorities in the borderlandsof the three East European empires into a battle royal for recognition as individualstates. The article focuses on the activities of the German ambassador in Bern who was themost active force in the development, and he gave special support for the nationalities onRussia’s western border. Poland’s future quickly became the major issue but this threatenedGermany’s own ambitions in Eastern Europe. The Lithuanians and the Ukrainians particularlyopposed Polish dreams of establishing a large state. The Germans, however, considered thefuture of Ukraine to lie mostly in the hands of the Austrian Empire, and therefore Lithuaniaappeared to be the more promising force to limit any new Polish state. Key Words: First World War, intelligence, Switzerland, Polish Question, national minorities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/ahuk.v31i0.1201