United States of Greater Austria in WW2

United States of Greater Austria in WW2

  • Joins the Axis Powers

    Votes: 7 12.7%
  • Stays Neutral

    Votes: 21 38.2%
  • Gets Anschluss, while rests gets Puppeted

    Votes: 10 18.2%
  • Joins the Allies

    Votes: 17 30.9%

  • Total voters
    55
I'm thinking that this could only happen if Charles I was able to successfully negotiate a separate peace with the Allies during WWI.

A peace that would have very likely involved Italy not getting all of its demands, and thus feeling extra-betrayed by their allies. If Italy gains Istria and Trieste, Fiume/Rijeka could remain Austrian. Additionally, I'd expect Croatia-proper and Dalmatia to remain in Austrian hands.

As far as Germany goes, if Austria pulls out of the war in the Spring of 1918, it is likely Germany wouldn't last enough to see a republican coup happen. Wilhelm II might be forced to abdicate in the subsequent peace, but Germany could remain a monarchy. That is not to say it won't go fascist at some point, just that it will be a different form of revanchist government than OTL's Nazis. Furthermore, Germany will also see the Hapsburgs in general, and Charles I specifically, as traitors to the German nation.

What happens in Russia with an earlier repatriation of the Czech and Slovak legions, without their need to go East, is another matter.

Whichever the case animosity between the Austrian Federation and Germany will run very high. Diplomatically, Austria will likely gravitate towards friendship with France.

Poland, Romania, and Greater Serbia (rather than Yugoslavia) would still be wary of Austria's movements.
 
Also Bohemians always wanted to be independent. I think there would be a Bohemian revolution which Germany could be involved.

If I am not mistaken, up until the war the Czech's were mostly looking for a status similar to Hungary's. And many would have considered Bohemia an integral part of the Hapsburg domains (maybe more so than Hungary). After the Germans and Hungarians, they were the third largest ethnic group; Bohemia was part of the industrial core of the Empire; and Prague its third largest city; and, if I am not mistaken, a larger percentage of their population was educated and living in urban areas than Hungary's. IMHO if they are upgraded to an equal partner within the Empire the Czechs might be less likely to revolt than the other minorities.

The circumstances surrounding of the war, including the efforts of the Czech and Slovak diaspora in France and the US and the importance of the Czech foreign legion in the aftermath of Brest-Litvosk and the Russian Revolution, was what really pushed them towards independence, and granted them much needed international recognition. And this only came the combination of Czechia and Slovakia (with Carpathian Ruthenia), which guaranteed them some strength to counter a resurgent Austria or Hungary.

I think a trialism proposal could succeed ittl seeing how the Hungarian crown is as gutted as it is.

Karl I did work to have Croatia as the third partner in the Empire. Technically speaking the triple monarchy did exist between Oct 22nd 1918, when the Hungarian Council of Ministers agreed and signed the trialist manifest, and October 29th 1918 when the Croatian Sabor ended the union and all ties with Hungary and Austria, proclaimed the unification with the State of Slovens, Croats, and Serbs (Yugoslavia).

But I'd say more than trialism, Austria would have to look into a full-fledged federation. The Czech's won't sit still if the Croats gain autonomous status before them (although historically and politically this made sense), and if the Czech's get it, the Slovens and Slovaks will demand it as well (I'm assuming Galicia and Bosnia have been annexed by Poland and Serbia respectively). And I'm not sure how viable a sextuple monarchy is, by this point it is best to just start from scratch.
 
Karl I did work to have Croatia as the third partner in the Empire. Technically speaking the triple monarchy did exist between Oct 22nd 1918, when the Hungarian Council of Ministers agreed and signed the trialist manifest, and October 29th 1918 when the Croatian Sabor ended the union and all ties with Hungary and Austria, proclaimed the unification with the State of Slovens, Croats, and Serbs (Yugoslavia).

But I'd say more than trialism, Austria would have to look into a full-fledged federation. The Czech's won't sit still if the Croats gain autonomous status before them (although historically and politically this made sense), and if the Czech's get it, the Slovens and Slovaks will demand it as well (I'm assuming Galicia and Bosnia have been annexed by Poland and Serbia respectively). And I'm not sure how viable a sextuple monarchy is, by this point it is best to just start from scratch.
OP's map didn't include Croatia so for the purposes of the thread I discounted the possibility of a Croatian crown.
 
OP's map didn't include Croatia so for the purposes of the thread I discounted the possibility of a Croatian crown.

True, I did do that, but the Whole point of the United States of greater Austria was to keep what’s left of it together, so the Czechs, the Slavs, Hungarians and Austrians all have equal power
 
Top