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and the parts of Lorraine that had been annexed into the German Empire;
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annexed rather uncomfortably, as we'll see in awhile.
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And the other-- I just have to dodge these peripherally, but it's important to at least,
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and I'm sure you know about them anyway
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but the other thing that it's going to hinge on is really the hatred between Russia and Austria-Hungary,
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and the fact that the Russians see themselves as the protector of the Slavic peoples,
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in the Balkans,
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and the fact that the austro-Hungarian Empire is a polyglot empire,
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that is you've got at least, depending how you count them,
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fifteen major nationalities within the Empire,
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and that although German is the language of the Empire that Austria-Hungary,
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these ethnic minorities and their claims for national independence exist