ABSTRACT
The traditional Austro-Russian axis had broken up following Russia's withdrawal from the Seven Years War in 1762. Austria's place in the Russian alliance system was taken by its arch-enemy, Prussia. Such a constellation dealt a heavy blow to Vienna, since the two main objectives of Habsburg foreign poliey~· defeating or at least isolating Prussia and preventing uncontrolled Russian expansion in the Balkans or Poland were once more unrealizable. The Russo-Turkish War (1768 74) had made the Russian potential abundantly clear, while St. Peterburg's thirst f()f expansion at Ottoman expense did not seem satisfied by its gains in 1774. Austrian diplomats and generals agreed that Russia's continuous advance could not be stopped solely by {()I'cl' of arms. An alliance with SL Petersburg would put Vienna in a hr better positioll to curb Russian appetite or, if that failed , to profit from the final destruction of the Ottoman Empire .
