Genesis of a regional agreement
August 14th 1920, the Czechoslovakia, the Romania and the Royaume of Serb, Croatian and Slovenien the - named Kingdom of Yugoslavia as from 1929 - conclude a military alliance intended to secure these three countries of the Hungarian threat. The two attempts of the ex emperor Charles to reconquer the throne (March and October 1921) encourage these three Nations to reinforce their alliance. For this purpose, bilateral agreements are signed between the Romania and the Czechoslovakia (April 23rd 1921), between the Romania and the Yugoslavia (June 7th 1921) and between the Yugoslavia and the Czechoslovakia (August 31st 1921). The Little Entente intends to guarantee, by the force if need be, the peace treaties and in particular that of Trianon (June 4th, 1920).
Weaknesses of the Little Entente
The Little Entente is turned exclusively against the Hungarian revisionism. Romania vis-a-vis the the USSR, the Yugoslavia vis-a-vis the Italy, the Czechoslovakia vis-a-vis the Germany and the Poland remain alone and cannot count on alliance in the event of armed conflict with these powers.
The French guarantee
From half of the the Twenties, following the Agreements of Locarno, the France gradually grants its guarantee to the three allied powers. October 16th 1925, a military alliance is signed with Prague, followed on June 10th 1926 of a similar text with the Romania. In November 1926, it is with the tower of the Yugoslavia to take the same way.
Evolutions and collapse
The divergences of interests of the participants encourage Nicolae Titulescu, the Rumanian Foreign Minister, to write a pact of organization of the Little Entente (February 1933) whose object is to make alliance a solid and visible international structure, exceeding the purely formal framework in which it was registered until there. In spite of these efforts, the Little Entente will not be able to be opposed to dismantling Czechoslovakia by the IIIème Reich (September 1938 and March 1939), mined by the conflicts of interests: the Yugoslavia is indeed on this date very largely brought closer to the Germany whereas the Czechoslovakia appears allied faithful Moscow; Romania, as for it, preserves its friendship at the France and the Poland. The Accords of Munich (September 1938) will seal the end of this ambitious, but finally quite soft diplomatic assembly.
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