The Burgenland Question 1919-1924: A bilateral and international problem.

The article focuses on the Burgenland Question from 1919 to 1924, a bilateral and international dispute over the border demarcation between Austria and Hungary following World War I. Despite its relative neglect in historiography compared to other postwar territorial conflicts, the dispute was highly contentious, involving Hungary's refusal to cede the West Hungarian territory (later Burgenland) to Austria as stipulated by the Treaty of Trianon. This refusal strained bilateral relations and tested the Paris Peace Treaties system, with Italy and Czechoslovakia intervening to advance their own regional interests, thereby complicating the conflict. After a series of military confrontations, diplomatic negotiations, and a controversial referendum in Odenburg (Sopron), international mediation led to a compromise that largely defined the border and laid the foundation for lasting peaceful relations between Austria and Hungary. The article highlights the interplay of national self-determination, great power politics, and regional rivalries shaping the resolution of the Burgenland Question.