The Break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy – Lessons for the Community of Independent States?

The international science community has been showing more and more interest in the economic consequences of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, hoping that the lessons learned from these events can fruitfully be applied to the present problems of Eastern Europe, the CIS in particular. With these questions as a background, several studies have been carried out analysing especially the abandonement of the common currency (crowns) after 1918. In this study, WIFO investigates the effects of the political separation on the real flow of goods and services and points out some lessons for the current situation in the CIS.