Why does Austria lose EVERY major war in EVERY TL?

Redbeard

Banned
Exactly what the title says:why does Ausria lose any, ANY major war in EVERY timeline I read? Often in the most stupid way possibl, like focusing on the ottoman empire whil half of Germany is still in French hands in a most widley known TL, the name of ehich I will not say?
I have wondered the same myself, and not just in ATLs, but the Austrians appear in general to get very bad press in most English language history writing.

My theory is a combination of factors:

1. The Austrian Empire was dissolved in 1918 and since then really hasn't had any to write their view on things.
2. The Austrians lost the "propaganda war" to the Prussians already in mid 19th century. The Austrians (personalised by Metternich) were the old fashioned stiff-necks fighting against new nationalist ideas - whereas the Prussians were German nationalism par excellence!
3. Most English language litterature on the continental part of the Napoleonic wars and German relations in 19th century were based on 19th century Prussian writers.
4. Our present day view on the Austrian Empire is very much influenced by its last month and not so much by its previous 500 years.

If you look into most English language litterature on say the Leipzig campaign of 1813 you will read about a string of pearls of Prussian successes and here and there a note about lacklustre Austrians walking around dumb and without shoes. The Prussian indeed performed well in 1813 but if you look into pre 1850 accounts (mainly in German language - gothic letters - you get used to it quickly) on say the Leipzig campaign you will get a very different story on the Austrian participation. I would claim that NO army of the Napoleonic wars contributed more to the downfall of Napoleon than the Austrian, and the only factor competing in this role was the Russian winter. But even when acknowledging the Russian winter, Napoleon probably would have stayed in power if Austria had not joined the allied side in August 1813 with an field army of 200.000 well trained and equipped troops. The images of recruits in bare feet were from the mobilisation in spring 1813. By Leipzig campaign they were well drilled regulars and the English paid shoes had arrived. And add to that all the armies Austria raised for IIRC 17 campaigns against Napoleon (and revolutionary France).

One exception in recent English language litterature is George Nafzigers books on the Dresden and Leipzig campaign of 1813. They are very well documented and detailed (nice!) and can be a bit tedious to read (can live with that), but give a much sharper image of the Austrian part in the campaigns.
 
I feel like there's a bit of a bandwagon effect on alternate history where unpopular developments aren't seen as creative but rather as implausible. Because Prussia is really popular amongst alternate history writers, anything that doesn't have Prussian unification of Germany as a result is wrongly seen as implausible.
 
I think the subsequent fall of the USSR and Yugoslavia plays a big role, too, in convincing us that large, ethnically diverse states were more fragile than they in fact were.
 
1. The Austrian Empire was dissolved in 1918 and since then really hasn't had any to write their view on things.

The collapse of the empire must have been so shocking to contemporaries. A 1,000-year monarchy reduced to a tiny rump state. It seems so unlikely.
 
The collapse of the empire must have been so shocking to contemporaries. A 1,000-year monarchy reduced to a tiny rump state. It seems so unlikely.

Well, maybe less so coming after the Russian Revolutions and at the same time as one in Germany and another in Ireland. It was obviously time for upheaval by then.
 
Well, maybe less so coming after the Russian Revolutions and at the same time as one in Germany and another in Ireland. It was obviously time for upheaval by then.

It's not just that the monarchy fell, but that the Austrian state (one of the great powers for many centuries) just crumbled, leaving a tiny successor.
 
Yeah, I agree with you. From what I rememember reading, it's usually nationalism wrecking them when that happens.

Austria-Hungary in a Central Victory will never fall. Because with Ottoman, Bulgarian, and German support, the Habsburgs will win any civil wars, United States of Greater Austria prevents that as well.
 
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