Any POD. Post 1900 is preferable. What does it take for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to remain a European power into the 1940's? "European power" defined as at least more powerful than Italy OTL.
Have the CP do well in the opening moves of WW1; AH send B-staffel to the Russian Front immediately and hold more ground in the initial Russian invasion, have German win the Race to the Sea. The CP wins WW1, AH undertakes some political liberalism within the existing Imperial structure such as extending franchise and giving the parliament some more powers.
Whammo, AH survives and is more powerful than Italy!
Would such liberalism not simply hasten the decline of the Empire? Each ethnic group can now make enemies of each other, not just the Habsburgs.
Any POD. Post 1900 is preferable. What does it take for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to remain a European power into the 1940's? "European power" defined as at least more powerful than Italy OTL.
Would such liberalism not simply hasten the decline of the Empire? Each ethnic group can now make enemies of each other, not just the Habsburgs.
AJP Taylor argued that really they just needed to win the war, or to be on the winning side. That entity had always depended on successful wars to survive.
Switzerland is doing fine enough. So does Belgium. And Spain too isnt really that bad.But Tito's Yugoslavia also collapsed ,and without external war. it might simply impossible for multi-ethnic Central European nations to survive.
Does OP mean that A-H could not be broken apart? If breaking apart A-H was counted as survival, a commonwealth of independent states could be a solution? In essence, states of Czech republic, slovakia, hungary, slovenia, croatia would be members with titular Habsburg head in Budapest. Austria became a role of Russia in the CIS.For the long time survival of Austria you need the support of its 4 most important nations: Germans, Hungarians, Czech, Croatians. These are the 4 nations inside the empire with numbers, money and influence and without a strong wish to leave, to have/join their own independent national state. So they are the ones you have to build a surviving Austrian Empire upon. The rest either has a state across the border they want to join (romanians, serbs, italians), or want their own independent state (polish). The numerically smaller nations without strong and influencial elites - slovenians and slovakians - can be pretty much ignored at first and maybe integrated later - the rest can reach an agreement on their expense.
For this you have to resolve the situation between the czech and germans - hard to do and the croatians and hungarian - much easier to do.
This post IMO says all there is to be said.IMO for the long time survival of Austria you need the support of its 4 most important nations: Germans, Hungarians, Czech, Croatians. These are the 4 nations inside the empire with numbers, money and influence and without a strong wish to leave, to have/join their own independent national state. So they are the ones you have to build a surviving Austrian Empire upon. The rest either has a state across the border they want to join (romanians, serbs, italians), or want their own independent state (polish). The numerically smaller nations without strong and influencial elites - slovenians and slovakians - can be pretty much ignored at first and maybe integrated later - the rest can reach an agreement on their expense.