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Metternich's Faint Shadow: An Austrian AAR by a mediocre player

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July 3, 1893. AHS has enacted a set of social reforms: a minimum wage, health care, safety regulations, and unemployment subsidies. Not much, trinkets really, but it will ease the plight of the lower classes somewhat. Preparation is being made for another adjustment of colonial claims with Russia.

July 7, 1893. The negotiations with Russia went smoothly: we traded claim buildings in El Fasher for Coquilliatville and also exchanged some technology. A similar trade with Britain would be advantageous, but relations are poor and they won’t agree even to a three-to-one trade. I am now working on plans to increase industrial production and build a second railroad across Africa.

May 9, 1897. Great news! A newswire service referred to AHS as one of the Great Powers! The first time in decades! Our empire is finally getting some real respect!

March 10, 1898. Mexico gave up 12 more provinces to the USA in its latest peace treaty. That’s the sixth US-Mexican war, I think—it’s hard to keep track. Earlier this year, the USA declared war on Spain—something about a ship sinking near Cuba under mysterious circumstances. Spain is considered to be one of the Great Powers, but that’s mostly prestige from its cultural achievements. It’s not a major military power, and it’s only in the second tier of industrial powers. The US on the other hand has the world’s largest military. Even with France honoring its alliance with Spain, this is going to be a one-sided war.

May 1, 1899. Our efforts to improve relations with Britain have paid off. The recently signed deal will allow us to claim the colonies of Volta and Gold Coast.

January 14, 1900. Tomorrow we declare war on Sokoto, which will probably be the last of our African acquisitions.

April 30, 1900. Shit! There’s just no other word for it. Russia has declared war on our satellite Nejd. Although our military might is much improved since the 1870s, it is still no match for Russia. We’ll just have to let them have Nejd, and hope they don’t go after Austrian Arabia next.

January 2, 1901. AHS signed a peace treaty with Sokoto today. AHS will directly administer three provinces along Lake Chad, and the remainder will be our new satellite—Nejd is no more, having been completely annexed in August. It seems that all of Asia is gradually being forced into either the British or Russian Empires. We have good relations with both, but no alliance with either. In fact AHS has *no* alliances other than what’s left of the old Deutscher Bund. This means we have no help should Russia decide that AHS is its next victim. On the other hand, alliances often get you into wars you’d rather not fight…

 
I'm afraid to do anything aggressive because my badboy is 27.5, and the Giant Green Glob is right next door! Never mind that THEIR badboy is 41.2! I have good relations (>100) only with ENG, RUS, and Bavaria and negative relations with FRA, SPA, PRU, TUR, and USA.

Maybe I should just focus on industry the remaining 19 years? And continue to build army & navy but for defense only? Or maybe I should release some satellites (and hope Russia doesn't annex them)!
 
I say take on the big green blob, personally. :)
 
Congrats on winning the Showcase! This looks like a fun AAR, you've done quite well for yourself!

As for combatting Russia....I suppose it depends on who your allies are, who theirs are, and just how bad the disparity in forces is. With only nineteen years left there's really no need to hold back anymore - even if you lose it'll be more interesting than just sitting back and watching.
 
Very nice job. :)

BTW, I took the liberty of correcting 'mediocre' in your AAR title. Hope you don't mind. ;)

LD
 
April 14, 1902. A popular author and historian has predicted that just as the 19th century was a century of colonization, the 20th century will be a century of “decolonization.” The colonial empires in Asia and Africa will one way or another become independent, just as the American colonies gained independence in earlier centuries. There already have been steps in that direction. Last year Australia was granted self-government. And today our nation grants autonomy to the people of Upper Egypt. A similar arrangement for Ethiopia was considered, but unfortunately that land borders Russian territory and I just can’t trust those Russians anymore! Gabon has been made a state of AHS: its demographics have radically transformed in the last decade, and it is now 75% white with South German, North Italian, and Romanian being the principal ethnic groups.

May 3, 1903. Those damn French have declared colonial war upon us! They have been quietly loading divisions into Cote d’Ivoire and are using it as a base. Meanwhile our own African troops have been positioned northward for a possible war with the Ottoman Empire…THIS war was completely unexpected—although it seems logical in hindsight. Of course relations with France have been strained since the Second Great War, and they have few options to expand colonially.

April 9, 1905. The colonial war with France is going badly, and they have rejected three peace proposals so far. The latest would have given them Gold Coast, Volta, and half of Niger. Russia has been trying to help but their help consists of lending us troops in Europe which we still have to transport to Africa. The AHS navy is superior to France’s, but capacity is limited to three divisions per trip. Despite their inability to land additional troops in the area, the French army in West Africa continues to grow, somehow. And besides that, their general is just plain smarter than I am. I’m forced to admit it. They’re killing our divisions faster than we can send them in. I’d even sign a humiliating peace at this point but apparently that option is available to every country but our own, for whatever reason.

April 17, 1905. Finally, France has accepted a peace treaty to end the colonial war. We had to give them all of Niger, Volta, Gold Coast, Mindoro, Puerto Rico, the South Leeward Islands, and part of Austrian Arabia.



Still, it could be worse. Look at Mexico, or what’s left of it:



October 9, 1905. AHS has entered another colonial war, this time voluntarily. Our alliance with Russia (which has been revived) does not obligate intervention in the Russo-Chinese war, but this may be an opportunity to take a few provinces: the island of Hainan looks inviting. All of China’s armies are marching north, and even if they turn south to fight us, their “Irregular Regulars” are no match for our machine-gun and iron-breech-loaded-artillery equipped divisions.

February 16, 1906. China has signed over Hainan to our glorious realm.
 
October 2, 1909. Now Prussia has declared a colonial war on our nation! I didn’t even know they had any colonies!

October 5, 1909. Here’s the situation. Prussia has one colony: the Virgin Islands. Their navy is mostly transports, and has not left the Baltic. Our Second Squadron, consisting of three ironclads and a monitor, is headed for the outlet of the Baltic in order to intercept any transports leaving for an attack on AHS colonies. Gaining control of the Virgin Islands is crucial: it is the difference between a stalemate and a complete victory in the colonial war. Unfortunately, the islands are garrisoned with a very well dug-in division of Prussians…and of course any assault would be from the sea which puts us at an additional disadvantage. This is going to be bloody, but we shall have to take the islands. Nine divisions are being sent to the Caribbean, with another five in preparation.

February 15, 1911. Now that the Virgin Islands have been taken, Prussia has offered to end the war and cede this tropical paradise to AHS. This is the exact same proposal we sent them last week and they rejected. Of course this offer was accepted. The population of the Virgin Islands is primarily Greek, secondarily Turkish and Spanish. The main export is tobacco, which is intensively cultivated. [The RGO has been expanded to level 6!] Nearby Puerto Rico is no longer under French control; it was ceded to the USA after a short war in 1908.

August 2, 1914. Through a series of colonial wars in Southeast Asia, Cambodia and Brunei have been annexed, along with the southern half of Annam. Preparations are being made for a colonial war with Portugal…

March 16, 1916. Portugal has offered a peace treaty to end the colonial war which began on Sept. 19, 1915. They are offering all of Portuguese Oman and nearly all of their African colonies. Of course AHS will sign this treaty—I wasn’t even certain we were winning, given the massive casualties in Arabia. A war between Britain and China, which began Sept. 15, 1915, continues to rage.

April 5, 1916. It seems there have been some whispers in diplomatic circles about recent "aggression" against Portugal. Come on, they were just colonies! And it was THEIR idea to cede so much territory! The Ottomans are so upset that today they have declared a colonial war against us.

April 7, 1916. With the Ottoman Empire it’s hard to tell what is a colony. With most countries North Africa would be a colony, but with them who knows. Same with Aden and Soccotra. It’s taken some research, but apparently the only Ottoman territories considered to be colonies are Zanzibar and the province of Al Quattara in Egypt. It’s too bad we can’t attack them in the Balkans! Naturally, plans are being made for invasion of those provinces. Zanzibar, I fear, is a similar situation to the Virgin Islands—although it does have the advantage of being attackable from both north and south.

September 19, 1917. The Ottoman Empire has ceded Zanzibar to our Empire, ending the colonial war. Britain and China concluded a peace treaty in April, and the world is at peace…for awhile anyway.

February 21, 1919. AHS has released three new dominions: Oman, Zanzibar, and the Swahili Confederation. These join Upper Egypt and Sokoto in what will now be known as the Vienna Commonwealth. This is my last official act, for today I retire.

February 22, 1919. Aw, crap. After all my years of work, my pension is only trinkets!

 
Vital statistics as of 1919:
Population of Austria-Hungary-Slavland: 125,000,000
Population (combined) of satellites: 9,000,000
Prestige: 555 (rank 9)
Military: 143 (rank 4)
Industry: 804 (rank 5)
Literacy: 84%

Top 11 nations in 1919:
1. USA
2. UK
3. Russia
4. Prussia
5. Spain
6. Portugal
7. AHS
8. Bavaria
9. France
10. Switzerland
11. Ottoman Empire
and in case you’re wondering…
14. Belgium


North America after additional USA aggression. South America has changed very little. (Patagonia is still unclaimed)






Europe and North Africa. I never did get the chance to smite the OE properly. Once I was ready militarily, the UK kept guaranteeing their independence.






The rest of Africa.
Egypt (pink), Zanzibar (bright yellow), Swahili Confederation, and Sokoto (both pale yellow) are AHS satellites.





Asia. Oman (orange) is an AHS satellite; everything white except Australia is AHS territory.

 
I gotta say, the NPN activity is almost as interesting as the writer's nation. :eek: America engulfing Mexico, Russia and Britain eating up Asia...and is that Japan under Belgian rule?
 
What about the British Empire as far as the Aral Sea!

Very interesting AAR. :)
 
Nice AAR Sesqui. I have a soft spot for Austria so it's great to see an AAR for them on board. You made quite a comeback from giving up Dalmatia to building a colonial empire.
 
Henry v. Keiper said:
I gotta say, the NPN activity is almost as interesting as the writer's nation. :eek: America engulfing Mexico, Russia and Britain eating up Asia...and is that Japan under Belgian rule?
Click to expand...

The color of Japan was changed becuase of my addition of Revolutionay China. Of course that should be red, right? But if Japan attacks China and Japan is red also, that might be confusing. Keeping track of Russian vs. Portuguese Africa was hard enough!
 
I notice the British went bezerk in Asia but hardly did anything elsewhere.
 
I enjoyed reading this AAR. I like the journal style(is that what it is called?). I love playing as Austria... My first ever Paradox game I started as Austria and its been them first ever since...

But anyways, Great AAR. :)
 
sw_myers said:
...Great AAR. :)
Click to expand...

YEP ! also, nice ending cash position! :cool:
 
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