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Germany's great ally in World War I was the Austro-Hungarian empire, which in 1919 was broken apart and made into the separate states of Austria and Hungary, birthing as well several other nations in Eastern Europe. The new state of Austria signed the Treaty of Saint Germain, making peace with the victorious Allies, on September 10, 1919. Present here are preliminary printings in English, French, and Italian (actually two Italian versions) of that treaty, indicated as such by the printed words "proof," "epreuves," and "bozza" on the respective treaties. The articles three versions of the treaty are not numbered sequentially, but rather are numbered discreetly within parts, and the pagination is not continuous between the parts. The second Italian version present here, however, does number the articles (a total of 371) and the pages (a total of 177) continuously, though there is no printed date for the signing of the treaty, indicating that it is also a preliminary proof printing, though made later than the other three. Several of the most important parts of the treaty - those dealing with financial reparations for example - are blank here, indicating that these proof versions were printed before those matters were completely settled. The conclusion of the Great War split apart the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the Treaty of Saint-Germain, the newly-created state of Austria recognized the independence of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia, and also had to cede much land to Italy and Bukovina to Romania. Austria also had to agree never to compromise its independence, and was therefore forbidden from entering into any alliance with Germany. Austria was also forced to admit its complicity with Germany in waging the war, and was saddled with reparations payments. Austria's army was limited to 30,000, and other articles of the treaty addressed political and economic issues. The text of the treaty also contained the League of Nations Covenant, and therefore was never ratified by the United States Senate. A very rare and interesting version of an important treaty ending the First World War, here in a very small printing, likely made only for participants in the peace conference. Folio. Gathered signatures, loosely inserted into printed wrappers, as issued, the four sections laid into a general printed wrapper. Moderate edge wear. Near fine.
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