Future of Austria-Hungary in a CP victory scenario.

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Another idea: it is almost a cliché that victorious AH should not expand, and might indeed give up territories for stability. What do you think about this: instead of this, Romania, Montenegro and Serbia are annexed outright. Nevertheless, a third South-Slavic monarchy and a Romanian monarchy, including parts of Transylvania, are established as parts of AH. On the other side, Istria, Triest and Trentino are given to Italy, and Galicia becomes part of Poland.

Well AH probably would expand by taking parts of northern Serbia and annexing Montenegro. Serbia won't be outright swallowed, no one wante that many new Slavs in the Empire. Romania will most likely be untouched. Giving anything to Italy after the war is out of the question. And even giving Galizia to Poland wouldn't go home well in Vienna.
 
Well AH probably would expand by taking parts of northern Serbia and annexing Montenegro. Serbia won't be outright swallowed, no one wante that many new Slavs in the Empire. Romania will most likely be untouched. Giving anything to Italy after the war is out of the question. And even giving Galizia to Poland wouldn't go home well in Vienna.

Yes, I know, that are the standard assumptions I pretty much agree with myself. If AH wins, it wouldn't give away anything, as it won the war - but it cannot swallow that much either, as every annexation would increase the number of non-Germans or non-Hungarians in the Empire. AH is a victor for which it actually makes sense to give up some parts. If the CP win, Italy is still there and still has irredentist claims. Probably a Poland is created which then has claims on Galicia. If Ukraine is established, Ukraine holds claims on Eastern Galicia. The South-Slavic idea is not dead at all. And Romania is still there. If the CP win and AH survive, its foreign problems will not improve at all - on the contrary, it might become more and more dependent on Germany.

In another post with the very same theme, the German opinion was heavily discussed as well. On one side, Germany can try to keep a powerful ally, which might be to autonomous, on which pretty much every neighbouring nation still has irredentist claims and which is internally instable, at least for some years. Or Germany can promote partition, get Italy as a relyable ally, get bordering territories, appease Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and maybe even Hungary. All of the Balkans is then partitioned into small nations which cannot resist German hegemony.

All in all, you're right, AH wouldn't give up territories, and likely would only take Montenegro and Serbia as puppets, or annex minor parts of it. A meager price for winning a war. I was just trying to propose a peace treaty in which the Austrians gain more.
 
The problem with not incorporating Galicia is how on Earth would it work? The Habsburg Emperor is King of Galicia-Lodomeria, so if a separate kingdom of Poland was created you would in effect have two Polish kingdoms, one within the empire and one without.

You can't NOT do anything with Poland, too many promises have been made, too much preparation put in, too much work already done.

You COULD try the option of making the Emperor also the king of Poland and thus merge his titles in that respect, but this would not go down great in Warsaw.

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
The only way Galizia is given to Poland is if a Habsburg is taking the Polish throne, then and only then could Vienna think of giving away Galizia. They'd probably keep Bukovina though.
 
The only way Galizia is given to Poland is if a Habsburg is taking the Polish throne, then and only then could Vienna think of giving away Galizia. They'd probably keep Bukovina though.

That was initially intended, it just got more complicated for the Germans later in the war. Up to 1916, in victory, I'd think you'd see one of the Teschen line of Habsburgs take the throne.

Streuth, the PC repair guy just had a look at my laptop and turned something off and now all the text in the browser is very thin and scraggly looking!

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
That was initially intended, it just got more complicated for the Germans later in the war. Up to 1916, in victory, I'd think you'd see one of the Teschen line of Habsburgs take the throne.

Streuth, the PC repair guy just had a look at my laptop and turned something off and now all the text in the browser is very thin and scraggly looking!

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Sounds like the horrors of Internet Explorer to me.
 
There are so many possible CP victory scenarios that the only answer possible is "It Depends"

A strong early victory in the West would lead to an independent Poland probably merging with Polish majority areas of AH and many of the Ukrainian areas too since the large towns in the area had strong Polish populations like Lemberg. This would most likely be under a Hapsburg monarch. However if the Austrians push for an independent Ukraine region we would see (including starving angry Russians) a lot of tensions over this area between the nationalist organisation, which would require a strong interfering Germany to control. This could cause massive resentment and see increasing amounts of violence across the area.

German nationalism in Austria proper was also high by this time so the very nature of AH could be under threat, reform or no reform.
 
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