Saint-Germain, << san zhuhr MAN, >> Treaty of, was signed by the Allied powers and the Republic of Austria on Sept. 10, 1919, after the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I (1914-1918). Austria-Hungary had made itself a republic in November 1918 after many of its regions declared their independence. The Allies held the new republic accountable in the treaty, which confirmed the breakup of Austrian power. Romania and the country later called Yugoslavia objected to treaty guarantees given to minority groups and delayed signing for several months. The Austrian National Assembly ratified the treaty on Oct. 17, 1919, and the agreement went into force on July 16, 1920. The United States, which signed the treaty but never ratified it, made a separate peace with Austria on Aug. 24, 1921.
Part I of the Treaty of St.-Germain provided that Austria could be admitted to the League of Nations, a forerunner to the United Nations, after a period of good behavior. Part II reduced Austria’s territory from about 115,000 square miles (297,800 square kilometers) to only 32,369 square miles (83,835 square kilometers). The population was thereby reduced from 30 million to 6 million. Eight clauses guaranteed the independence and safety of Austria’s minority groups.
The treaty forced Austria to recognize the independence of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the country later called Yugoslavia. These nations, together with Italy, also gained much territory that Austria had controlled before the war. Military clauses reduced the Austrian army to 30,000 soldiers and the navy to only four patrol boats. Only one factory could manufacture arms. One of the important clauses of the treaty forbade the union of Austria and Germany, which Austria had sought. But in 1938, the German dictator Adolf Hitler forced a union with Austria. In 1939, World War II began and set aside the treaty.
