What would be better for the germans? The German empire or the HRE?

Here the situation: Both the german empire and the HRE were relatively decentralized states if compared to others like Russia or France, with the second Reich being a federal monarchy and the HRE a chaotic administrative inferno of 100 billion duchies, kingdoms, counties and anything else loosely united.

Based on that, let's say that the HRE could be centralized to the same extent as the german empire, and so between a austrian led HRE and the OTL second reich, which one would be better for the germanic people's in general and the others, like the hungarians in the HRE and the sorbs in the IInd Reich?
 
Depends on what you mean by "centralized". The Austrian government was very centralized so I don't see much change for the minorities if Austria controlled all of Germany. If anything, their plight would be worse because the Habsburgs would feel less inclined to grant concessions.

As for the average German, a centralized government would be about as good for them as any absolutist/authoritarian state. A government that is not accountable to its population will tend towards oppression. What matters would be this hypothetical state's constitution: is there a legislature? Is the monarch accountable to this legislature? Is the military? How free are the states to enact their own regulations? Are the courts subject to due process? Etc.
 
Depends on what you mean by "centralized". The Austrian government was very centralized so I don't see much change for the minorities if Austria controlled all of Germany. If anything, their plight would be worse because the Habsburgs would feel less inclined to grant concessions.

As for the average German, a centralized government would be about as good for them as any absolutist/authoritarian state. A government that is not accountable to its population will tend towards oppression. What matters would be this hypothetical state's constitution: is there a legislature? Is the monarch accountable to this legislature? Is the military? How free are the states to enact their own regulations? Are the courts subject to due process? Etc.

There is all the public organs you said, try to think into post ausgleich austria hungary, but only looking towards austria.
 
When Napoleon reorganized the HRE into the Confederation of the Rhine, he did so knowing that as the HRE was, absolute monarchy could never be achieved. The Prussians also knew this, that's why they unified the Germans by force and the Prussian Royal family elevated to rule over the conqured kingdoms. I think that the German Empire was what the HRE was trying to become. A Empire with a powerful monarch that held absolute power. I firmly believe that if Germany had been allowed to keep it's Kaiser after WWI instead of having the Weimar Republic shoved down it's throat that it may not have started WWII.
 
Something you all need to consider are the borders. The HRE is way bigger than the German empire, so if we are talking about a united HRE, we have to consider that it is like a massive austria hungary with a higher number of the dominant people. They are going to have problems with the italians, the hungarians and the french.
 
Something you all need to consider are the borders. The HRE is way bigger than the German empire, so if we are talking about a united HRE, we have to consider that it is like a massive austria hungary with a higher number of the dominant people. They are going to have problems with the italians, the hungarians and the french.
Not the whole Austria-Hungary... Only Austria and Bohemia were part of the HRE (and separating Hungary and North Italy from the empire is possible)
 
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