[Love on enemy territory: Belgrade, Cetinje and Lublin under Austro-Hungarian occupation in World War I].
During World War I, Serbia and Montenegro were under Austro-Hungarian occupation between late 1915/early 1916 and 1918. This article explores the attitude of the occupiers towards prostitution and venereal disease, among the indigenous population as well as among their own soldiers, officers and female support staff. The measures taken were primarily guided by military considerations. For the military, the occupied areas were zones that served particular purposes, such as preserving peace and order behind the front, making use of manpower and resources, and serving as cordon sanitaire. In spite of this, pseudo-peace-like structures evolved in the capitals Belgrade and Cetinje that facilitated the spread of prostitution and venereal disease. In my article, I will look at the scale of the debate and of the proposed countermeasures. It is noticeable that women were usually branded as the perpetrators, while the soldiers were seen as the ones in need of protection. In spite of this, it is apparent how candidly the royal-imperial army dealt with the topic even though it went against the current ideas of morality. The social differentiation that was customary in the imperial and royal army applied here, too. Officers suffering from venereal disease had their own hospitals and brothels and were permitted leave more often (a fact that went against the purpose of these institutions). The topic also received publicity because the military physicians, who were in fact civilians mobilized by the army, chose to publish continuously on the topic. Based on the microcosm of occupied enemy territory, my contribution shows how ideas of morality changed during the war despite traditional gender stereotypes, and the role played by the military in these developments.