Any chance AH could field a competent army by 1914? If so, what are the resulting consequences for WWI?
As a sidenote, does Austria have the most pathetic military record of any major nation in history?
Um... did you forget the whole history of Austria and Hungary until the late 1800's? It's like saying France has the worst military record in history; you're ignoring everything before 1871 to say that.
No I actually had the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries in mind when I asked the question, particularly so the drubbings Austria received at the hands of the French and Prussians.
Napoleon himself said it best when replying to an Austrian diplomat's demands "Your empire is like an old maid servant, accustomed to being raped by everyone".
Eh, it was always a ramshackle edifice politically, but the only times I recall it being utterly trounced before the middle of the 19th century were by the Prussians and the French (who also shattered the Prussians), and they recovered to the point where they were able to join the offensive and gain a place at the peace talks by the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Besides, up until then, they'd been warring with the Turks, and doing pretty damned well for themselves, for centuries.
As a sidenote, does Austria have the most pathetic military record of any major nation in history?