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AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 357 AUTOCRACY Jugoslavia also sprang into existence at the dissolution of the parent state. It was a confederation of Bosnia, Herze- govina, Croatia, Slovenia, and Dalmatia of the former Austrian territory with Montenegro and Serbia, the latter to be the leading member. On Dec. 1 the office of ruler was offered to Prince Alex- ander of Serbia and accepted by him. The new government was recognized by the United States Feb. 7, 1919. Hungary also broke its partnership with Austria, and the Hungarian Peo- ple's Republic was proclaimed Nov. 16, 1918, with Karolyi as Provisional President. The Cabinet that was formed, however, proved unable to cope with the terrible conditions that were the after- math of the war and resigned in Jan- uary, Karolyi himself soon afterward following its example. The Communist elements gained control, and a reign of terror was inaugurated under the Bela Kun regime. See Hungary. Little else than Vienna was left to Austria proper after it had thus been stripped of its richest provinces. On Nov. 13, two days after the Emperor's abdication, the National Assembly de- manded the creation of a republic that should bear the name of German Austria, and arrangements were made for the election of a National Constituent Assembly on the basis of universal suf- frage. That election took place on Feb. 16, 1919, and the new body proceeded to frame a constitution. A desire prevailed to unite with Germany, but this was later forbidden by the Peace Confer- ence. The framing of the peace treaty with Germany took so much time that it was June 2, 1919, before the Austrian terms were handed to the Austrian delegates at St. Germain-en-Laye, a suburb of Paris. The treaty followed closely the lines of the German treaty. Austria was compelled to recognize the new states of Czecho-Slovakia, Jugoslavia, and Hun- gary, and to cede large portions of her remaining territory to Italy and Poland. Of her former population of about 50,- 000,000, she lost 43,000,000, and her former area of 240,000 square miles was reduced proportionately. She renounced her extra-European rights, accepted the League of Nations covenant and agreed to demobilize her aerial forces. Other economic and political concessions were demanded by the Treaty, which bore heavily on the vanquished state. As in the case of Germany, the Austrians pro- tested vigorously against what they called the harshness of the Allied terms, but after several months of correspond- ence and counter-proposals the treaty was signed Sept. 10, 1919. An additional proviso made by the Allies was that the new state must abandon the title of "German Austria" and adopt that of "The Republic of Austria." The economic condition of Austria after the war was worse than that of any other of the vanquished Powers, During the winter of 1919-1920, the in- habitants of Vienna were on the actual brink of starvation. Help was afforded by the nations of Europe and especially by the United States, and the people were tided through until the harvests of 1920 helped to bring about a restora- tion to more normal conditions. See Relief, War. AUTHORS, BRITISH SOCIETY OF, an association of authors formed in Lon- don in 1883, for social and business pur- poses; has a governing committee of 30 members; maintains an attractive club- room and publishes a periodical called "The Author." AUTHORS' CLUB, an American or» ganization founded in New York City ia 1882, and incorporated in 1887. It is governed by an executive committee without a president. Any person who is the author of a published book proper to literature, or of creditable literary work equivalent to such a book, is eli- gible to membership. AUTHORS' LEAGUE OF AMER- ICA, an organization of authors formed to protect their interests and those of others engaged in the production of books and works of art, especially with reference to copyright. The league gives business advice to its members and pro- vides confidential information in regard to publishers, managers, and others en- gaged in the sale of copyright material. Allied to the League is the Authors' League Fund, which has the object of furnishing assistance to authors and others in temporary financial difficulties. The league holds annual meetings at which questions affecting writers and publishers are discussed. AUTOCHTHONES' (a-tok'tho-nez), the Greek name for the original inhabitants of a country, not settlers, considered as having sprung from the soil itself. The Athenians were fond of being so called; the ancients counted among autochthon- ous races also the Arcadians, Latins, Gauls, and Scythians. The Latin equiv- alent term was aborigines. AUTOCRACY, a word signifying that form of government in which the sover- eign unites in himself the legislative and the executive powers of the State, and thus rules uncontrolled. Such a sover-