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Austria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy, is a state in Central Europe ruled by the House of Habsburg in Vienna: constitutionally, a monarchic union between the Crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. This state is a result of the Ausgleich or Compromise of 1867, under which the Austrian Habsburgs agreed to share power with a separate Hungarian government dividing the territory of the former Austrian Empire between them.

In 1914 the Austrian government started the Weltkrieg by attacking Serbia after the latter stalled on accepting demands for suzerainty. The Central Powers, including Germany, would support them while fighting Serbia and its many allies. They would eventually come out victorious, but Germany established a larger sphere of influence in the aftermath.

After the renegotiations of the Ausgleich in 1927, the constituent parts of Austria–Hungary are:

  • Austria, a primary constituent of the Dual Monarchy
  • Hungary, a primary constituent of the Dual Monarchy
  • Illyria, a secondary constituent of the Dual Monarchy.
  • Bohemia, a secondary constituent of the Dual Monarchy under the control of the Austrian Crown
  • Galicia and Lodomeria, a secondary constituent of the Dual Monarchy under the control of the Austrian Crown
    Kaiserreich Austria-Hungary

    Austria-Hungary with its constituent parts

Military[]

Army[]

The Austro-Hungarian Army has been the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy since 1867. It is composed of the joint Imperial and Royal army (k.u.k. Armee - recruited from all parts of the country), the Austrian Landwehr (recruited from Cisleithania), and the Hungarian Honvédség (recruited from Transleithania).

The joint Imperial and Royal units are poorly trained and had very limited access to new equipment because the governments of the Cisleithanian and Transleithaian parts of the empire often prefer to generously fund their own units instead of outfitting all three army branches equally.

Navy[]

The Austro-Hungarian Navy is the naval force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its official name in German is Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine (Imperial and Royal Navy, abbreviated and better known as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine). It is completely composed of Austrian units.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy suffers from the fact that it is not considered a priority among the armed forces and the lack of funding prevented the harbours of the Dalmatian coast from producing many units. The Navy's problems are also exacerbated by the twelve different ethnic groups comprising the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Officers have to speak at least four of the languages found in the Empire. Germans and Czechs generally are in signals and engine room duties, Hungarians are gunners while Croats and Italians are seamen or stokers.

Air Force[]

The Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen or K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen) is the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it relies almost completely on Austrian units.

The Air Service began in 1893 as a balloon corps (Militär-Aeronautische Anstalt) and was later re-organized in 1912 under the command of Major Emil Uzelac, an army engineering officer. The Air Service would remain under his command until the end of the Weltkrieg in 1921. The first officers of the air force were private pilots with no prior military aviation training. At the outbreak of the war, the Air Service was composed of a mere 10 observation balloons, 85 pilots, and around 35 to 40 aircraft. Although all of the European powers were quite unprepared for modern air warfare at the beginning of the conflict, Austria-Hungary was one of the most disadvantaged. This was mainly due to the empire's mostly traditionalist military and civilian leadership.

Economy[]

The Austrian economy has grown considerably, although the Creditanstalt Crisis in 1931 reversed some of this progress. there has been rapid industrialization and the length of railways has increased rapidly since 1867.

Foreign Relations[]

In terms of foreign policy, the situation of Austria-Hungary is complicated. It has poor relations with its neighbours of Serbia and Romania; the former is in a Free Trade Zone with the Dual Monarchy but views them as an oppressor after the Weltkrieg and is partly led by groups aiming for unification with slavs in Illyria and Austria's southern province, while the latter claims a large portion of eastern Hungary and the Bukovina region of Galicia-Lodomeria. Austria-Hungary has good relations with Bulgaria partly owing to shared mistrust of these nations.

Relations with Berlin are cordial, but often strained after a number of betrayals during the Weltkrieg, only exacerbated by how Galicia-Lodomeria has become a safe haven for Ukrainian dissidents opposed to the Hetmanate and Polish liberals opposed to the monarchy. However, fear of anathemical Socialist influence and Russian revanchism in Europe lead the Austrian establishment to often see the Reichspakt as a lesser evil. Austria is also a member of Mitteleuropa.

Further abroad, Austrian investors have a strong hand in economies of Greece and the Italian Republic much to the chagrin of nationalists in both countries. In the latter, Austrian troops are currently stationed in the Italian Republic to protect the young state against the Third Internationale. Despite supporting the Republican government, Austria also supports peaceful legal reunification with the governments in Naples, Rome and Cagliari while actively hostile towards the Socialist Republic of Italy based in Turin.

In the Far East, the Austrians have a seat on the governing council of the Legation Cities through their concession in Tianjin. Outside of China, Austria's direct imperial presence is restricted to Europe after they never gained a substantial foothold in the European scramble for colonies.

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