the progressive and zealous Serbs of Hungary, who ever since the fifteenth
century in increasing numbers made their home there, refugees from the
oppression of the Turk, but who ever longed to push out from the frontier
and rebuild Serbia anew. [Krizanic], a Croat Catholic Dalmatian priest, a
firm believer in Jugo-Slav and Slavic unity in general, appealed to the
rising Russian empire to help save dying Slavdom.

While the Turkish and the Venetian empires decayed, the Austrian and the
Russian gained courage. By the end of the seventeenth century the house of
Habsburg had won back all except the Banat and in the eighteenth century
aspired to divide the Balkan peninsula in halves with the Russians. Along
with this future foreign interference in the affairs of the Balkans came
the Germanizing and centralizing "reforms" of Maria Theresa and Joseph
II, whose result was to cripple still further the few constitutional and
historical rights which remained to the Jugo-Slavs. But these "reforms" had
nevertheless salutary effects upon the nation of peasants. The enlightened
despots, spurred on by the loss of Silesia--which was at the same time a
great loss in revenue as well as prestige--sought to make good the loss by
the economic betterment and education of the peasantry. How else could an
agrarian state increase its revenue and supply able-bodied men for the
numerous armies which the overarmaments of Frederick II had brought upon
central Europe? [Footnote: Emphasis on this fundamental fact of Habsburg
history in the eighteenth century cannot be too strong. The writer of this
paper hopes soon to present archival proof of the far-reaching results of
the seizure of Silesia. The documents are to be found in the archives of
the _Hofkammer_ and _Ministerium des Innern_ in Vienna.] Centralization and
Germanization really helped to awaken the Slavs. Enlightened despotism gave
them the weapons of political struggle--education and economic resources.

Of the Jugo-Slavs, the Serbs of Hungary were the first to achieve national