@NikephorosSonar: "Whats this socialism thing these anarchists and rabble rousers keep going on about?!?! Bah, it will never happen here!" -Franz Josef. :happy:
@oberstbrooksy: In older versions of DH that I have played as Germany, there are lots of events for colonies switching hands. Not sure what A-H will get, but I have ideas of post war annexations...if I can win the war that is.
@everyone else: Thank you for your comments! I am pleased to see that this has already gotten alot of attention, and we have barely even started yet!
Austria-Hungary, June 1914. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is an empire whose glory days have largely faded away. A multiethnic state, made up of a dizzying mix of Austrians, Hungarians, Slovenes, Croats, Bosniaks, Czechs, Slovaks, Romanians, Serbs, Italians, Poles, and others, the country finds itself in an era of decline. Increasing ethnic nationalism or agitation amongst the working classes against the traditional economic and political elite are slowly whittling away at the country's foundations. Still, the old empire soldiers on, in the face of increasing internal and external threats.
Holding the country together is the aging Hapsburg Emperor Franz Josef, a patriarch who has ruled the country since the middle of the 19th century. Although somewhat old fashioned, the monarchy and the government are still managing to keep the empire running and most importantly united as well. It is hoped that this will continue into the foreseeable future, when the heir to the throne of the Dual Monarchy, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, eventually becomes the emperor...
The continent of Europe, 1914. Europe is still the centre of the worlds political, economic, and military power, but it is also an area of vastly increased tension. Decades of great power rivalry for colonies, economic markets, security, and simple accumulation of power, have reached a boiling point, as the continent moves from one crisis to the other with the threat of all out war almost always present. This is further complicated by an extensive web of secret alliances, secret treaties, and military war plans, created by many of Europe's great powers which could turn even a small crisis into a major conflict. Austria-Hungary is no exception to this, having forged agreements with Germany for mutual defense and military access, or currently maintaining an alliance with the Kingdom of Italy.
Amongst these great powers, Austria-Hungary is something of a middleweight, far outmatched one on one by the still relatively young but very powerful German Empire, or Austria's big Eastern neighbour of Russia. France and Britain are also very powerful opponents, possessing very strong navies, large economies, and the world's largest colonial empires from which to draw resources, manpower, or base their military forces from. The only great powers Austria outmatches are Italy, which is still a relatively young nation-state, or the Ottoman Empire, which is regularly derided as the so called "Sick Man of Europe".
Militarily, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is behind many of the other great powers, but is still a very potent force to be reckoned with. The K.u.K (Imperial and Royal) Austro-Hungarian Army is a strong although somewhat outdated force, that upon general mobilization can field almost 1 million soldiers for combat, organized into 84 divisions. A reorganization of the army is planned for the immediate future, and the government also has ambitious plans to re-equip much of the army with newer weapons like better rifles, artillery, machine guns, or even to perhaps look into expanding into the new field of military air power.
At sea, the K.u.K Kriegsmarine is Austria-Hungary's naval force, and on paper at least is a very powerful one at that. The navy fields a powerful fleet including 17 battleships, 2 of which are modern Dreadnought class battleships, soon to be joined by a 3rd: the
SMS Prinz Eugen which is undergoing final sea trials. However, like the army, when compared to the navies of the other great powers, the fleet falls somewhat short. Many of the Kriegsmarine's ships are older vessels, and rivals such as the British or French Mediterranean fleets would more than likely give the Kriegsmarine a real challenge in combat. Austria-Hungary also does not hold any overseas colonial possessions, so the navy does not get much priority in investment in comparison to the Army, which has huge influence on military decision making or policies. The navy is ready to fight in defense of the Empire, but the odds are stacked heavily against it.
The navy is however undergoing a somewhat modest expansion at the moment, with a few new cruisers and two new dreadnoughts currently under construction. However, it is widely expected that any further investments will be diverted to the needs of the Army should a crisis arise. Also note Austria-Hungary's current stockpiles of important resources, and its industrial capacity.
Military and civilian research projects by June 1914. Austro-Hungarian industries and companies are focusing their efforts on various projects, such as new military doctrines, new weapons and equipment for the army's infantry divisions, or new industrial technologies.
Overall, things look pretty stable for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but then, urgent news arrives from the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, concerning the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.....