What if the Allies decided to be a touch more consistent in their policy of national self-determination and allowed Austria to hold a plebiscite on the questioning of joining up with Germany? What impact would that have on the Weimar Republic and the interwar period? Could this take just enough steam out to avert the rise of the Nazis?
AHC/WI: Austria allowed to join Germany at Versailles
- Thread starter LHB
- Start date
When the whole reason for Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye was to punish Germany and Austria?
Not a chance.
It would require an earlier POD then the Versailles Conference. You need a POD that avoids the US entering the war perhaps no Zimmerman Telegram. The stalemate on the Western Front continues but the British blockade continues to bite so Germany requests peace negotiations. Britain and France gladly accept since they are also completely spent. Basically this Versailles Treaty is a lot less harsh on Germany. The Central Powers have technically lost but the terms on Germany are much better then OTL. France gets Alsace-Lorraine but there are no reparations, no war guilt clause and no restrictions on the German military. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is still broken up but Austria is allowed to join Germany.
No one is Asutria as in modern day the other held all german Hapsburg lands
dead_wolf
Banned
How would the Rep. of German Austria, which is all of the German lands of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, fight to prevent unification with Austria as you suggested?
They're one and the same.Austrian Empire (1804-1867) > Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) > Rep. of German Austria (1918-1919) > First Austrian Rep. (1919-1934) > Federal State of Austria (1934-1838) > Nazi Germany (1938-1945) > Allied Occupied Austria (1945-1955) > Second Austrian Rep. (1955-)
The Rep of German Austria could force a unification with Germany. (maybe)
Using the right of self determination as their casus belli
Deleted member 1487
Well it would surround Czechoslovakia, which would make Sudetenland a serious issue, considering 3 million Germans are just over the border and don't have ethnic rights on the same level as Czechs and Slovaks, despite outnumbering Slovaks by 22% to 16% of the population:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia#Ethnicity
Of course the issue of political rights for minorities got better in 1927:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Czechoslovakia_(1918–1938)
Poland becomes a side issue compared to the Sudeten area.
Also Vienna was very much a socialist/communist voting area, so they would boost the SPD/KPD, while the rural areas would probably join more with the BVP or CDU. Later of course Nazism would become popular if it rises ITTL.
That's actually not true. Somewhere from 1923 to 1937 Germans had one or two ministries in every Czechoslovak govermment. German members of Czechoslovak parliament had maybe more power to influence Czechoslovak internal policy then Slovaks. Your oppressed Germans had bigger share in officer corps then Slovaks. German schools, high schools and universities were allowed same way as Slovak and Ermans had up to 1938 if memory serve me right at least one more university then Slovaks. Sure Czechs were somehow preffered over Germans or Slovaks in some positions but still Germans had probably more rights then any other minority at that time in Europe ore anywhere else.
Back to the topic. German Austrian unification after VT would probably lead to little big bigger investments in the Army and probably much earlier fortification of the borders with Germany not leaving Austrian border only ligjtly fortified. This situation would also very likely lead to Czechoslovak Polish agreement with Czechoslovakia maybe ceding Tesin area to Poland to get Warsaw on its side.
Deleted member 1487
I was referring to language rights in government, which AFAIK weren't granted until the late 1920s. My reference was to what was going on in 1918-19 for politics going forward; it becomes more important to reclaim Sudentenland with Austria in Germany, than Danzig and the Polish Corridor.
Certainly, even with a reduced German/Austrian military (probably limited at 125,000 ITTL).
This is highly doubt. The Czechs aren't going to give up a Czech majority area, as the Polish part was already given to Poland in 1920 AFAIK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Teschen#Aftermath
It was too economically important to let go, especially as they were already allied under the Little Entente, which France guaranteed. Poland only got 'off side' in 1933-34 when Hitler and Pilsudski signed the non-aggression pact.
Actually Tesin area which was part of CSR was not Czech majority area and Prague knew it well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Teschen#Aftermath
At the best it was contested area. that's why Benes tried to bribe Poles in 1938 with it shortly before Munich. Czechoslovak Generality requested dor long time from government friendly Poland. If Austria become part of Germany right after VT they may as well get more attention.
Economicaly speaking arangement could be made. For CSR at the time it was startegically important due to railway corrifor to Slovakia at the time of war with communist Hungary.
If Austro Germans fight on other side they may end up even worst. Only possibility to joint Austro German state would be if for some reason allies allowed it on some condition. Maybe red Hungary bit more successful or Poland lost agianst Soviets?
If you have a negotiated peace like this, I'm not sure if the Germans would agree to much of the territorial losses they suffered IOTL.