Continental empire - German ‘Mitteleuropa’ concept at the turn of the 19th and 20th century

Abstract

The paper presents creation and development of the idea of Mitteleuropa, which appeared in German political and geopolitical thought at the beginning of the 20th century. The article presents 19th century background leading to the formation and the development of this concept, and fundamental works of Josef Partsch and Friedrich Naumann, which shaped it. It also presents the impact that the concept of Mitteleurope had on the plans of the German Empire during the First World War and the successful, though brief, attempt to implement it at the political level undertaken during the negotiations of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.