Challenge: German Austrian Empire

[Valdemar II]

How could we create a Austrian empire which had at least 75% German speaking population.

It need to own at least the Kingdom of Hungary, Transsylvania and Croatia.
It may not include more of Germany than pre Napoleon Wars Bavaria and Silesia (and of course Austria and Czechia).

Bonus points
If it have a post 1700 POD.
It doesn't include Bavaria and/or Silesia.
If it include other areas outside the HRE.

Minus point
If it include genocide
If it include ethnic cleansing of linguistic groups.

 

[ImperialVienna]

Have the millions of Germans that immigrated to North and South America instead migrate into the Habsburg dominions.

 

[Lysandros Aikiedes]

If you expect that Austria would militarily enforce it's very tenuous authority on the northern German states, then it might be better to wage this campaign before 1714, which was the year that the George of Hanover ascended the the British throne. Even if this is achieved, and the Holy Roman Empire retains it's hold over Germany, they'll be troubled by Prussian, French, and possibly the British unless they can manage to befriend at least one of them. I don't think at this point that even with access to the northern german coast, that Austria could partake in the European colonial activities overseas, as it's foreign policy seems to be fixed with Europe. But if they retain their position until the mid-eighteen hundreds, by maybe trying stay away from the revolunary wars in France, then its possible that Austria could have joined late comers like reunified Italy and the independent Kingdom of Belgium in the "Scramble for Africa".

 

[Analytical Engine]

How could we create a Austrian empire which had at least 75% German speaking population.

It need to own at least the Kingdom of Hungary, Transsylvania and Croatia.
It may not include more of Germany than pre Napoleon Wars Bavaria and Silesia (and of course Austria and Czechia).

Bonus points
If it have a post 1700 POD.
It doesn't include Bavaria and/or Silesia.
If it include other areas outside the HRE.

Minus point
If it include genocide
If it include ethnic cleansing of linguistic groups.

If by German speaking, you include speaking it as a second language, you would need to encourage more of the population to speak it...

There was a lot of tension in Hungary after the official language of the Habsburg domains was changed from Latin to German, so it would be hard...

 

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

The attempt to Germanize Hungary and the assimilation of the Jews need to be more successful. Austria should not participate in the Partitions of Poland or conquer any more Ottoman territory after 1700 because this would only dilute the overall German element.

After 1700 a lot of Germans went to the Americas, Russia, Poland, Britain, eastern Germany, Australia, and the German colonies. Find a way to get these settlers to go to Austria.

 

[Thermopylae]

Well, had Austria crushed Prussia during the War of the Austrian Succession then you might remove the impetus behind North German unification. In the absence of a strong Prussia, Austria might well be the unifier of Germany.

 

[Valdemar II]

If by German speaking, you include speaking it as a second language, you would need to encourage more of the population to speak it...

There was a lot of tension in Hungary after the official language of the Habsburg domains was changed from Latin to German, so it would be hard...

By German speaking I mean as the primare language of daily life*, I'm rather sure that more than 75% of AHs population spoke German as second or third language in 1914.

*This mean that it should be at least as common as English is in the Welsh speaking areas of Wales, something you use in school, in bussiness, work and in any other official capacity. While Welsh is used at home and often in unofficial dealing (pubs, parties, gossip, etc.)

 

[Valdemar II]

The attempt to Germanize Hungary and the assimilation of the Jews need to be more successful. Austria should not participate in the Partitions of Poland or conquer any more Ottoman territory after 1700 because this would only dilute the overall German element.

After 1700 a lot of Germans went to the Americas, Russia, Poland, Britain, eastern Germany, Australia, and the German colonies. Find a way to get these settlers to go to Austria.

AH was one of major "importers" of German migrants in 18th century especially to Hungary, it only stopped with chaos in the Napoleons Wars, just as the migration to USA more or less stopped in that periode*.

So we need continued immigration, no annexion of Galicia, and no Napoleons Wars.

Maybe something like Kabraloths POD in this thread.

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=83010

..map..

This could sabotage the Polish partipation.
Beside it would give Austria territorium which it could later trade for Bavaria** together with Flanders and Luxembourg. That would give the Joseph II the prestige needed to reform the Empire by incorporate Hungary and Croatia directly in Austrian Empire***, that together with the removal of Serfhood**** (in Hungary) would result in a economical boom both in Hungary and Austria, which could result in greater immigration. Beside that Josephs hostility toward the Catholic Church could help intergrating the Orthodocs population in the empire.

The effect of a won Seven Years War for France could also butterfly both ARW and the French Revolution away, so no Napoleons Wars. Which push the birth of modern (Romantic) Nationalism at least a few decades out in the future and keep German emigration going. Which give Austria time to force French style Nationalism down over the empire.

*and was only started again around 1840.

**Which is important because it rid Austria of Flanders and Luxembourg and help Austria getting out of Germany, by creating a strong Wittelbach state in the West.

***Maybe with a small civil war which crush the Hungarian elite, so they can be replaced with people loyal to Vienna.

****Which was one of the other thing the Hungarian nobles rebelled against.

 

[Faeelin]

Athat together with the removal of Serfhood**** (in Hungary) would result in a economical boom both in Hungary and Austria, which could result in greater immigration.

Hrmm. Did abolishing serfdom in Europe lead to an economic boom?

This is a semi-serious question; I remember reading how there was evidence it didn't, or if it did, led to rapid population growth that ate up the gains.

 

[Valdemar II]

Hrmm. Did abolishing serfdom in Europe lead to an economic boom?

This is a semi-serious question; I remember reading how there was evidence it didn't, or if it did, led to rapid population growth that ate up the gains.

Yes, it lead to a economical boom both (in Denmark and Austria at least) when it was abolished, of course it also lead to the rapid population growth that ate up some of the gains and create a growing class of landless rural poors, which lead to growing urbanisation and the first step toward industrialisation. Of course for the states in question it lead to a growing taxbase and a growing mechant/artisan class. Austria had never been as strong and rich as it were after the abolisation of serfhood, only the conservative/reactionary politic in the periode 1800-1850 transformed Austria(-Hungary) into the "backward" and unstable state it were at the end. Before 1789 if you had ask which state the 19th century would belong to, a lot of people would have answered Austria, without the Napoleons Wars it would likely have grown bigger than France already early in the 19th century, it already had a greater army in 1789, a lot better finanses and Vienna was fast becoming the Europes centre of culture.