The Austrian Revolution

The year is 1789. Radicals have overthrown their sovereign and declared a new republic. The country is... Belgium.

Joseph II, with his efforts to make german the official language, and his reforms, irritated the belgians. They drove out the austrians in 1790, but the austrians crushed it rather messily. the revolution was also weakened by Joseph II's death and his replacement with his successor leopold.

Hungary, meanwhile, was restless because Joseph was presuming to declare that austria could issue edicts at will to hungary.

Hmm. Let's say Joseph II lives a bit longer and won't back down; the hungarian diet calls for resistance to the emperor, belgium also stands firm...

and in France, the estates are getting out of hand.

Thoughts about a weakened austria in the formative stages of the revolution?

Perhaps in Hungary an earlier 1848 revolution against Hapsburg rule ? Inspired by the recent example of the ARW ? Unfortunately I can't really comment more since I don't know enough about A-H in 1789.

Melvin Loh said:

Perhaps in Hungary an earlier 1848 revolution against Hapsburg rule ? Inspired by the recent example of the ARW ? Unfortunately I can't really comment more since I don't know enough about A-H in 1789.

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Possibly. I'm also wondering if France's revolution could develop better without the chaos of OTL's threats of Austrian invasion; maybe not, however.

Faeelin said:

Possibly. I'm also wondering if France's revolution could develop better without the chaos of OTL's threats of Austrian invasion; maybe not, however.

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The experience of watching ancien regime armies crush a revolution in the Southern Netherlands would probably be a pretty frightening and radicalising experience for the French even if tehy themselves were left unattacked. I also wonder how long-lasting the revolts against the Habsburgs could have been, where did the army stand?

I've been keeping an eye on this because it is interesting to see what you are getting at, but I am not sure yet...

Are you saying that Belgium (sic) erupts into revolution, and that France is more or less close behind, and that Austria cannot counter either because of internal chaos with the Hungarians ?

Grey Wolf