What if Franz Josef was killed rather than Franz Ferdinand

Reene

Banned
Hello, long time lurker and now poster curently reading on WW1 and was wondering how would things have turned out if Franz Josef decided to go on a tour of the empire instead of Franz Ferdinand and was killed in the same manner. So basically everything remains the same and happens the same way up to the assasination.

How would the people and leadership of AU feel about the event and their feelings towards their emperor in general and especially meeting such an end.

What about outside world? How would the great powers and their people feel about the event and an assasination of an Emperor.

What would the now emperor Franz Ferdinand do?

And what future do you see for Austria Hungary in such an event?
 
Franz II (Franz Ferdinand after coronation) wouldn't go to war. He hated the Mummy (Franz Joseph) and would have been glad someone else did the dirty job for him.
But for Austria-Hungary the death of the Mummy would mean hard times ahead. Franz Joseph was the one respected by almost every faction. Franz was the one hated by almost every faction.
Germany would gladly co-operate with Franz. Wilhelm II regarded Franz his friend (not so sure about the reciprocal view). And the German leadership had been increasingly discontent with the way Franz Joseph's government was doing business (or rather was doing nothing).
The Serbs would howl for Franz' skalp now, but they were bloodthirsty savages anyway. The Russians would impatiently wait for Austria-Hungary to collapse, which - in their view - was imminent.
For the rest of the world, nothing would change at all.
 
Top