Help Plz with Austrian TL

fiddyman237

Banned
Does anybody know how i could make Austria-Hungary 1st:not go to war in WWI 2nd: Not getting F. Ferdinand assassinated(stopping A-H from going to war) 3rd: Having A-H becoming a much more successful monarchy/democracy?(like in F. Ferdinand's map and his plans for the Hapsburg royalty.
 
Does anybody know how i could make Austria-Hungary 1st:not go to war in WWI 2nd: Not getting F. Ferdinand assassinated(stopping A-H from going to war) 3rd: Having A-H becoming a much more successful monarchy/democracy?(like in F. Ferdinand's map and his plans for the Hapsburg royalty.

The first two are easy: The gang that assasinated Franz Ferdinand were nothing more than a bunch of idealistic Serbian nationalist teenagers and twentysomethings, one of whom happened to get really lucky. Have Ferdinand's car take a different route. Have Gavrilo Princip's bullets miss (his aim wasn't that good-he meant to hit Franz Ferdinand an Austrian general, but he hit Ferdinand and Ferdinand's wife instead).

As for the last part, AH had some serious structural problems at the time. Whether, in the absence of WWI, it could have overcome them and evolved into a modern democracy is a question I'll leave to our more knowlegible posters.
 
A post-1900 POD, IMO, might be too late to prevent the stagnation of the Habsburg Monarchy, yet early enough to prevent its Entente-enforced evisceration. Without WWI A-H could conceivably break down or have to enforce drastic measures to stay together. It could turn into another episode of the Eastern Question.
 
Have Maximillian become Emperor and not Franz Joseph.
You might see a completely different, more liberal AH, with France as an ally.
Which means that the reunification of Germany either does not happen at all, or if it does, then under Hapsburg rule.
This would make a WWI very unlikely.
If there is no Germany there is no conflict with GB and Russia.
If there is a Germany it would not have a fleet to bother GB - AH had no colonies and was never interested in any. A big fleet would be a waste of money and recources.
There might be trouble with Russia over the Balkan, but with France as an ally and GB neutral, AH/Germany would be no match.
Do away with Franz Joseph and AH has a chance to make it further than 1918.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Avoid the start of WW1 with not having FF assassinated (he chose another route in Sarajevo). Although by 1900 A-H could not hold on in it's current form. The other nationalities were demanding rights, and the Germans and Magyars of the Empire would not have been able to deny it forever (or they could try and fail).
 
Have Maximillian become Emperor and not Franz Joseph.
You might see a completely different, more liberal AH, with France as an ally.
Which means that the reunification of Germany either does not happen at all, or if it does, then under Hapsburg rule.
This would make a WWI very unlikely.
If there is no Germany there is no conflict with GB and Russia.
If there is a Germany it would not have a fleet to bother GB - AH had no colonies and was never interested in any. A big fleet would be a waste of money and recources.
There might be trouble with Russia over the Balkan, but with France as an ally and GB neutral, AH/Germany would be no match.
Do away with Franz Joseph and AH has a chance to make it further than 1918.

Emperor Max would certainly be the best choice, even though it's not a panacea to the Habsburg headaches in the same manner Britain colonizing a place would not make it automatically sunshine and rainbows.

That said, with Austria more liberal than OTL and more astute diplomatically it could survive in a different state; perhaps instead of merely conceding to the Magyars Maximilian could ally himself with the Slavs of the empire to counterbalance the Magyars.

His response to the question of Italian unification could be interesting; after all in OTL he was viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia. Increased Italian autonomy could weaken support for the Savoys in their quest for unifying Italy under their rule.
 
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