Habsburg Resurgence: The Federal Empire Rises.

Reader mode

Grammar Kaiser

Okay guys. I'm going to cover 1904-mid 1905 in my next update. I've adjusted my plans overall based on feedback from you all. Currently they look something like this:

Rather than out of the blue announcing the Balkan League, A-H will begin making Diplomatic inroads into the Balkan Countries. Is this less likely to anger Italy? Simply establishing good relations as opposed to outright trying to forge an alliance of any type?

Tying into the above, will Russia be mad at that? If not I plan for the Russo-Japanese war to occur as per OTL.

This next one is just a question. Is it possible for A-H to switch places with Italy being Berlin's main ally and A-H being semi-neutral, only to switch sides?

How do you think the Habsburg dynasty should maintain their power? I've got my own ideas already, I just want to hear all yours. I've written myself into a bit if a corner.

EDIT: forgot my mysterious plan for Karl in Russia.
 
Last edited:

lukedalton

Grammar Kaiser said:
Rather than out of the blue announcing the Balkan League, A-H will begin making Diplomatic inroads into the Balkan Countries. Is this less likely to anger Italy? Simply establishing good relations as opposed to outright trying to forge an alliance of any type?
Click to expand...

It will make things relatevely more quiet, Rome will see this as just a continuation of Wien normal policy not as a move to totally kick her out from the Balkans...on the other hand this will bring both Italy and Russia to step out their game in the zone, trying to make their own in road.

Regarding Italy and A-H switiching policiy, well i don't know...this, at least IMVHO, can happen only if Germany and A-H had somekind of fallout and this can create an open for a change of alliance as Berlin can try to court Russia (not saying that it will be succesfull).
Maybe it's a consequences of the Austro-Italian diplomatic crisis of the previous update, Berlin flatly refuse to support Wien military adventurism against a supposed ally so, even if the crisis will be resolved without a war a wedge between A-h and Germany will be created and maybe a rethinking of the alliance if the talk between the two has not been very...civil; but even in this case i feel that's very forced as outcome.
Still there is there is the problem of Italy, a war with A-H (even if limited) or even just the big diplomatic crisis will mean that she will not kept her border without defense (even in OTL it was fortified and ITTL it's already more fortified and the current crisis will accelerate things); while if the Great War happen after the equivalent of the Ottoman-Italian war, the italians will not be able to enter the fray till they had replenished their equipment (the OTL war was costly and was followed by a period of economic recession).
 

Grammar Kaiser

lukedalton said:
It will make things relatevely more quiet, Rome will see this as just a continuation of Wien normal policy not as a move to totally kick her out from the Balkans...on the other hand this will bring both Italy and Russia to step out their game in the zone, trying to make their own in road.

Regarding Italy and A-H switiching policiy, well i don't know...this, at least IMVHO, can happen only if Germany and A-H had somekind of fallout and this can create an open for a change of alliance as Berlin can try to court Russia (not saying that it will be succesfull).
Maybe it's a consequences of the Austro-Italian diplomatic crisis of the previous update, Berlin flatly refuse to support Wien military adventurism against a supposed ally so, even if the crisis will be resolved without a war a wedge between A-h and Germany will be created and maybe a rethinking of the alliance if the talk between the two has not been very...civil; but even in this case i feel that's very forced as outcome.
Still there is there is the problem of Italy, a war with A-H (even if limited) or even just the big diplomatic crisis will mean that she will not kept her border without defense (even in OTL it was fortified and ITTL it's already more fortified and the current crisis will accelerate things); while if the Great War happen after the equivalent of the Ottoman-Italian war, the italians will not be able to enter the fray till they had replenished their equipment (the OTL war was costly and was followed by a period of economic recession).
Click to expand...

Yeah I plan for the next update to cover 1904-1905 in textbook style, late 1905 Karl POV (it's only him and some people he meets after a train wreck he survives), an article, and then 1906 through the Astro-Italian crisis in textbook style.
 

Grammar Kaiser

Sorry about how long this is taking. I keep going in and out of writer's block on this TL. I might split the planned update apart into the sections outlined above just to give a more outlined update structure fore a bit.
 

Grammar Kaiser

Magyarország said:
Oh, they'll be angry, but not as angry. After all, it means Italy can make its own headway. I assume the same for Russia.

Looking forward to it!
Click to expand...

Is it possible a diplomatic scramble for the Balkans could occur? With A-H, Russia and Italy all trying to secure allies in the region?
 

Magyarország

Grammar Kaiser said:
Is it possible a diplomatic scramble for the Balkans could occur? With A-H, Russia and Italy all trying to secure allies in the region?
Click to expand...
I wonder since the typical attitude of the time for diplomats was "don't touch the Balkans with a ten-foot pole" until Russia tried its hands with Bulgaria and A-H with Bosnia and Novi Pazar. Remember, though: all that happened as Turkey went through nother bout of instability and separatism. Considering that such a scramble means the end of what little bit of the Balkans the Turks are holding on to, A-H might still be reluctant to destabilise Turkey further, since they are needed to maintain the balance against Russia.

This might actually end up as one of the last attempts at a European conference. There is a severe shortage of competent diplomats before OTL WW1, so it might actually backfire since the European empires are growing more and more hostilr at this point.
 

Grammar Kaiser

Magyarország said:
I wonder since the typical attitude of the time for diplomats was "don't touch the Balkans with a ten-foot pole" until Russia tried its hands with Bulgaria and A-H with Bosnia and Novi Pazar. Remember, though: all that happened as Turkey went through nother bout of instability and separatism. Considering that such a scramble means the end of what little bit of the Balkans the Turks are holding on to, A-H might still be reluctant to destabilise Turkey further, since they are needed to maintain the balance against Russia.

This might actually end up as one of the last attempts at a European conference. There is a severe shortage of competent diplomats before OTL WW1, so it might actually backfire since the European empires are growing more and more hostilr at this point.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
Improving Relations
  • Index

    • Grammar Kaiser

    Sorry about the Short update. I have to go to work. If I need to edit something I'll have to do it later. I just want to kill this bout of writer's block once and for all.

    Excerpt from Decades of Tragedy, 2011 Anniversary Special Edition



    Improving relations​



    After the Serbian War things in Europe were mostly quiet. The Russian government found itself having to rebuild its diplomatic influence in the region the hard way. In Austria-Hungary, Franz Joseph had ordered attempts to foster stable relations with all the Balkan states. To this end, starting in August of 1903, the Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agenor Maria Goluchowski visited the heads of each Balkan state. Italian and Russian officials took notice, and sent their own equivalents (Tommaso Tottoni and Vladimir Lamsdorf, respectively) for the same purpose (except in Serbia).

    It was during Agenor’s travels that he met with the Kynaz of Bulgaria and discussed ways for Austria-Hungary to increase its involvement in the region without alarming Italy, Russia, and Turkey. Kynaz Ferdinand suggested an annual meeting of the Christian heads of state of the Balkan Peninsula (including Franz Joseph as Austria-Hungary had Croatia and controlled Bosnia-Herzegovina). If the meeting was set up by one of lesser Balkan powers, it might not set off any red flags (he was wrong in that regard). Over the rest of Agenor’s travels (Montenegro, Greece, and for good measure Romania), he set about inviting other heads of states while Ferdinand organized the meeting.

    The First Annual Balkan Cooperation Meeting was set for October 18th 1903. The King of Italy and Czar of Russia were invited so as to avoid problems from them. Invitations were also extended to important members of these countries’ governments (such as Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti of Italy). The meeting allowed members of each country's government to communicate and perhaps solve issues they had with each other. Not everyone showed up to the first meeting however, and Kaiser Franz Joseph, King Theodore, Kynaz Ferdinand were the only heads of state there. Foreign Minister Tommaso Tittoni of Italy did show up, however, and each of the other countries sent at least a representative to the meeting. Except Russia, who were dealing with their own problems further east...

    This first meeting would mark the beginning of a gradual shift in the Balkan balance of power toward Austria-Hungary, though no one knew it at the time. Also unknown were plans by a madman that would come to fruition four years later...
     
    Last edited:
  • Index
    • Insider

    Insider

    Banned
    So the assassinations of A-H royals took place on a meeting where everybody, except Russians sent a high ranking representative... Hmm ... and von Hotzendorf tries to put a blame on italians... that is actually natural state for von Hotzendorf, he wanted to declare war on Italy about thirty time as a Chief of Staff and minister of war under Franz Joseph. I think they might stop counting after some. War with Italy is a cure all for Conrad.

    Anyway, interesting of course, I like the style of last update a lot, your skillz are improving.

    Edit... you forgot about threadmarks.
     
    Last edited:

    Grammar Kaiser

    Insider said:
    So the assassinations of A-H royals took place on a meeting where everybody, except Russians sent a high ranking representative... Hmm ... and von Hotzendorf tries to put a blame on italians... that is actually natural state for von Hotzendorf, he wanted to declare war on Italy about thirty time as a Chief of Staff and minister of war under Franz Joseph. I think they might stop counting after some. War with Italy is a cure all for Conrad.

    Anyway, interesting of course, I like the style of last update a lot, your skillz are improving.

    Edit... you forgot about threadmarks.
    Click to expand...

    Actually I got ahead of myself with the news article, and decided to turn the next set of updates into a how we got here. This is the first such meeting. The next update details why Russia wasn't there.

    EDIT: Thanks for the feedback!
     

    Magyarország

    Polish contribution to Austria-Hungary always fascinated me and Goluchovsky is definitely one of those last few competent diplomats of the pre-WW1 era.
     

    Magyarország

    Grammar Kaiser said:
    Yeah, if possible I might have him stay in office longer ITTL. Though considering what Hungary thought about him...
    Click to expand...
    Reading about it, it feels like Hungary's dislike of him is very much undeserved. Sadly, thr PoD might be too late to change that. Still, he's likely to still have influence as a Lord of the Herrenhaus as per OTL.
     

    lukedalton

    Insider said:
    So the assassinations of A-H royals took place on a meeting where everybody, except Russians sent a high ranking representative... Hmm ... and von Hotzendorf tries to put a blame on italians... that is actually natural state for von Hotzendorf, he wanted to declare war on Italy about thirty time as a Chief of Staff and minister of war under Franz Joseph. I think they might stop counting after some. War with Italy is a cure all for Conrad.

    Anyway, interesting of course, I like the style of last update a lot, your skillz are improving.

    Edit... you forgot about threadmarks.
    Click to expand...

    Ehy he already had the war with Serbia that was is other pet project and was a success, now he want the complete set
     
    Reader mode
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Top
    Top