What Happened to Austria after World War I?

[EmperorBatman999]

I had a few questions concerning what happened to the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. I understand that their empire was dismantled along the basis of nationalities, with Hungary going free, Bohemia and Moravia becoming Czechoslovakia, the newly united Yugoslavia taking the up the notoriously disputed Balkan provinces, and Austria losing its single port to Italy and ending the now-ironic "mighty" Austro-Hungarian Navy...but how did this dismantling come about? And what exactly did Austria go through in the twenty years between 1918 and Anschluss? What about the status of the Habsburgs?

There seems to be a tendency to focus on Germany's downfall after World War I, but I suspect the biggest loser here was actually the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It seems like such a massive deal that one of the most vital political players in Europe from the 14th century on was pulled apart like it was. I want to understand the national attitude Austria faced and how its citizens dealt with rising fascism in its neighboring Italy and Germany.

[Pathfinder]

Austria-Hungary was split between Austrian and Hungarian administrations, and from my understanding the Hungarian side, amidst the turmoil of a disastrous war and heightened ethnic nationalism because of it, distanced itself from Austria. The two were competitors for power and focus at the best of times. It was a heady time to declare independence across Europe as the losing countries' propaganda machines collapsed and traditional loyalties crumbled - even little Liechtenstein, a mere duchy, broke away to avoid the ramifications of defeat. The Habsburgs made a couple appeals for Hungary to rejoin Austria but these were laughed at. I think they were quietly deposed in Austria.

Reduced to a rump state there was little Austria could do on the international stage. There were two communist uprisings in Vienna in the early-mid twenties, plus Hungarian and German revolutions, so unsurprisingly anti-communism was top of the government's agenda for a while.

EDIT: Oh, and the division was not of the Allies design - they were too late for that. They could only try to mediate the new borders (so Italy lost out in the Balkans. They were probably unwilling to punish Austria even more territoriality (except Italy again), as it was clearly no longer a great power and was up for influencing).

[ShockBlast]

EDIT: Oh, and the division was not of the Allies design - they were too late for that. They could only try to mediate the new borders (so Italy lost out in the Balkans. They were probably unwilling to punish Austria even more territoriality (except Italy again), as it was clearly no longer a great power and was up for influencing).

Of ocurse not, the Allies didn`t do a thing except take away South Tyrol and give Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia despite almost 3.000.000 million ethnic Germans living there and they also forbade Austria to unite with Germany.

It`s not like the Allies told the Germans that any territorial exchange will be based on autodetermination.

[Pathfinder]

Of ocurse not, the Allies didn`t do a thing except take away South Tyrol and give Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia despite almost 3.000.000 million ethnic Germans living there and they also forbade Austria to unite with Germany.

It`s not like the Allies told the Germans that any territorial exchange will be based on autodetermination.

That's kind of what I meant - they wanted to keep Austria a polity, small but not reduced to the benefit of anyone else. Except for Italy, which wanted whatever it could get of it and more, and insisted on more than it got.

I was of the impression the Czechoslovaks claimed the disputed areas of "German-Austria" first, and the subsequent treaties merely recognized that.

[Aru]

the newly united Yugoslavia taking the up the notoriously disputed Balkan provinces

How were Slovenia, Dalmatia and Croatia notoriously disputed?

[EmperorBatman999]

How were Slovenia, Dalmatia and Croatia notoriously disputed?

I was speaking of the tensions between the Serbs and the Empire over Bosnia that got the entire war started in the first place.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

You should read the territorial demands of some of these ethnic nationalist states for a good laugh. Czechoslovakia is a good example of what would have been ridiculous borders had the Allies not mediated. Tomas Mazaryk wanted like a third or fourth of the Empire.

[EmperorBatman999]

As an additional question, what were trends regarding antisemitism in Austria during the Interwar Era? Did Austrians view the Jews as a reason for why they lost the war like the Germans did? Or who else did the Austrians seek to blame for their defeat?

I do know that the Austrians, despite some attempts today to deny Austria's role in being a willing and consenting part of Nazi Germany and their collaboration in the Holocaust (preferring the status of being coerced as victims), immediately began persecuting the Jews in brutal zealous fashion almost as soon as Anschluss was initiated. The stories of what happened to Jews on the streets of Vienna and other Austrian towns and cities are frankly inexcusable. How did this event occur, with the Austrians immediately taking to heart anti-Jewish policies of their new German leaders as soon as they were united with Germany? Were there policies by the Fascist (but not National-Socialist) government to protect the Jews or at least maintain legal balance despite public sentiments otherwise? That the Anschluss allowed for Austrian gentiles to suddenly and violently release years of built-up pressure and hatred against their fellow Jewish citizens?

[Abdülmecid I]

Hatred against the Jews was quite common before and during WW2. It's an embarrassing subject, which explains why it's not discussed very frequently, but it's true that there are many cases, where the local authorities encouraged the Nazis to commit atrocities, attacked the Jews on their own initiative and even accused the Germans of not being harsh enough towards the Jews. Austria had a long anti-Semitic history, with the first "Nazi" theories being developed by Austrian intellectuals, although the situation was probably better than in Ukraine (Lvov Pogrom, where even the Germans tried to restrain the locals from massacring the Jews), Poland and the Baltic states, which are the worst examples, due to the large size of the Jewish population and the propaganda of Czarist Russia. The reason for these feelings are the popular racial theories of the times, which gradually replaced the old religious intolerance (e.g. blood libel) and... greediness. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish homes and shops were looted and taken over by the collaborators. When there's poverty and anarchy, the human being reveals his worst nature and being anti-Semitic was the most useful tool in Austria and the rest of Europe to increase your social, financial and political status. One of the most forgotten reasons of why the Jews mass-migrated to Palestine after WW2 was the terrible way with which many of them were "greeted" by the locals. IIRC, 1,000 Jews were killed in Poland be people who fear of losing their recently acquired wealth or of getting their embarrassing past revealed to the Soviets.

[Fanest]

Franz Joseph died in late 1916 leaving a country in the middle of war, and so successor Karl was seeking a way out of the war.
In the while many ethic groups sought independence/autonomy and they used the weakened state the empire was in.
With the help of Woodrow Wilson and his helpers in peace treaties giving nations autonomy wasn't enough anymore and thus many independent states were formed. Many sought recognition and some got it - State of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes had to merge with Kingdom of Serbia and Montenegro to get it, but they made it.

Later Karl gave up his power and Republic of Austria was formed.

After this there were many referendums held on multi-ethic areas so Austria lost even more land. Still many ethnic minorities remained in Austria - Slovenes in Carinthia, Croats and Hungarians in Burgenland.

[Cyclops]

To understand the K und K in the period 1914-1920 is difficult without considering the 19th century breakdown of legitimacy. Once Napoleon was exiled Europe tried to cork the nationalist genie back in its bottle but it was too late. IIRC Metternich and other conservatives recognised "after us the deluge" and tried to preserve in formaldehyde as much of the Hapsburg-Lorraine heritage as they could.

The waves of nationalist revolts in 1835 1848 and the 1860's shook the basis of Hapsburg-Lorrainer rule again and again. In the final analysis it was revealed K und K rule rested on the armies ability to conduct campaigns of retribution against provinces that exercised the least notion of independence.

Only Hungary was able to leverage its position as a "special historical case" to gain some degree of importance vs the German court. The state itself did not have an exclusive call on German loyalty and German nationalism was a dangerous force to be restrained like the other isms. In part this is the reason Prussia succeeded in forming Germany when Austria had long held the box seat in terms of political legitimacy and heritage.

From the time of Radetsky's cruel campaigns of retribution to the shattering of the K und K armies in 1916 the Emperor king essentially held supreme rule at the point of a bayonet. The period 1848-1915 is a slow motion train wreck, and a credit to the capacity and cynicism of Imperial governments in holding and impossible state of affairs together. From 1916-1920 the train wreck speeds up as nationalities rip the state apart seeking land and bodies to call and make their own.