And had Austria anything in common with Hungary that led to their merger? How did that system work nevertheless?
History - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
First question-Austria. Bismark was hesitant, one, to take on Austria, because doing so, would have surely gotten him attacked by every European power at that point. England, Russia, and France (especially) did not take kindly to emerging powerful nations wiping old established kingdoms off of the map. Germany was treading lightly as it was, in an attempt to prevent France from attacking (Germany assimilated parts of territory formerly claimed by France). The best practical way to do this was to ally with its enemies...especially Austria. Secondly-the alliance with Hungary. The Austrian empire was extremely culturally diverse, and the Austrians were in fact a minority. The Hungarians made up a majority of the peoples in the empire, and rather than risk these people rebelling for autonomy (and taking with them a chunk of the empire), Austria merely instituted a "dual-monarchy" with their leadership, in which the leadership of the empire was to be split between the Austria and Hungary.
2 :
Bismarck was a conservative nation builder so he just wanted to create a united Germany without upsetting the balance of power in Europe too much. If he would have tried to annex Austria-Hungary, the German Empire would have become the most powerful nation in Europe and alarmed the British, French, and Russians. Also, Bismarck realized that the Balkan portion of Austria-Hungary was an ethnic war waiting to explode like it did in WWI. Austria-Hungary was a dual monarchy with two separate states (Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary) with one monarch and a unified defense, diplomatic, and trade policy. There was an Austrian Diet and a Hungarian Diet with differing rules and franchise.
3 :
Austria was AUSTRIA! They LIKED being their own country - hence, no more Austro-Hungarian Empire which is a completely different issue. But obviously - THAT didn't work either. Hitler couldn't get them to "voluntarily" join with Germany. The Anschluss was a sham. The Austrians liked being Austrians. Should we go merge with Canada without their input and/or consent? Same thing.
4 :
Bismarck had too much sense. He didn't want the problems of dealing with the many non-Germans in the Habsburg Empire. Austria, Hungary and all the other territories were either dynastic inheritances or reconquered from the Turks. The 1867 Ausgleich wasn't a merger but just the opposite. Hungary got autonomy with just Ruler, Army, Foreign policy and economy in common with Austria It worked by allowing the Hungarians to dominate the non-Hungarian peoples of historic Hungary.
