The idea of establishing the University of Sarajevo at the beginning of 20th century: Austro-Hungarian authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina between cultural mission and political reality

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century; the Balkans was the epicentre of numerous crises and some of them (the Annexation Crisis 1908–1909 and the Balkan Wars 1912–1913) had a major effect on social activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore; faced with a very complex political situation in the Balkans; Austro-Hungary was about to develop a strategy of increasing its own influence in the mentioned area. Consequently; Sarajevo was bound to play an important role in these plans. This paper argues that; by promoting the idea of establishing a university in Sarajevo; the Austro-Hungarian authorities were actually oscillating between their previous plan of conducting a cultural mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and political machinations aimed at the annihilation of Serbian influence. The public reactions in Bosnia; as well as in the remainder of the Monarchy; forced the solicitors of this idea to re-examine their own political considerations.