alternatehistory.com

Chapter 11: The Revolutions of 1923
Bolshevik gains in Russia hit Austria-Hungary like a freight train. The Hapsburg's had long ruled a vast and diverse land, stretching from the Alps to the Romanian border. Containing over a dozen major ethnic groups, the realm had been successfully held together for by now great spans of time, though numerous moments, particularly recently in 1848, had pushed the empire to its limits. Over 60 years later in 1923 the empire in a recognizable form was yet again put under threat of collapse via revolution.

Vienna had gained many an enemy by their participation in the Great War, inside and out. Now not only the capital of the prewar-divided empire, but the ruler of acquired lands in Italy and Romania as well as the puppet governments of Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania. These people chafed under their new, unwanted leadership, and dissenting views rose as quickly as they did inevitably. Between the winter of ‘22-‘23 strikes and protests repeatedly popped up, yet these were far from the worst to come. Secluded rooms served as meeting places, where more extreme measures to gain freedom from Austria were discussed. Such was the impasse, Austria had given up too much to give independence, and the would-be rebels would accept nothing less.

Spring of 1923 saw the door burst open. As an uprising in Veneto quickly liberated Venice, the governments of the Balkan puppets were overthrown as revolutionaries preached that ultimate freedom for their people via communist utopia was just around the corner. Knowing that the momentum was on their side and the need to act before Austria-Hungary could prepare themselves, the rebels pushed onward. Austro-Hungarian forces in the way were pushed back, unprepared for the size of the armies facing them and undermanned as the empire desperately scrambled to mobilize. This was easier said than done, thanks to dissension among northern peoples such as Polish and Czechs, who held little investment toward the continual control of southern nationalities they failed to identify with. As the revolutionaries pressed on Croats and Slovaks rebelled as well, eventually forcing Austria-Hungary from the whole Adriatic Sea.

Yet in their time of need, Austria's allies answered the call. German reinforcements finally arrived in substantial numbers, and with this the Central Powers could begin successful counteroffensives against their motivated yet ill-equipped adversaries. Revolting Serbs had spilled over into Bulgarian-annexed lands, signaling Bulgaria's entrance into the conflict alongside the other two Central Powers. Trapped on two sides and thoroughly outmatched, the 1923 revolutionaries would find themselves rapidly losing ground, relegated to doomed pockets of resistance by year's end.

Emperor Charles was victorious, yet the insurrections deeply unsettled him. Whether or not Austria-Hungary would've fallen apart had no outside support came is still a fiercely debated topic, though it remains undeniable that at the time their chances seemed very bleak. Could he always count on the German knight? The Kaiser after all was a busy man, having to deal with not only the problems of Germany but the security of chaotic France and the plethora of newborn Eastern European nations. If France and Russia were no longer major threats, surely that would incentivize Germany view to a struggling Austrian Empire as a lost cause wouldn't it? Charles hated to take the chance. Therefore he became determined to sufficiently stabilize Austria-Hungary for the next time the Balkans went up in flames. Seeing as the revolting portions of his empire would be unable to pull off such a stunt again for quite a few years, he turned his eyes to the north. No Polish or Ukrainian revolution had occurred, but it would be a monumental waste of resources to deal with the possibility when Poland and Ukraine were both now real countries. He would go on to sell all Polish-majority land and some more of the Ukrainian-majority territory outside of Hungary to their respective nation states, thereby removing those groups as potential future dissidents. This event would later be playfully referred to as "the bloodletting of Austria" in mainstream media.

Top