The Großdeutsche Lösung: The Austrian variation

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Großdeutsche Lösung: The Austrian variation
​

Here we are, again trying to do something proper and fine. I've decided to try something that I have not see too often -in fact, I think that I have not seen it at all- in the AARland: Unifying Germany through Austria, with some peculiarities, indeed -after all, it is a Kurty's AAR, it could not go on without peculiarities, we all know that.

Country: Austria aiming to Germany
Scenario: Great Campaign, vanilla
Dificulty: Normal
IA's berseker: Normal one, not too aggressive. Let me be the one who kicks asses.

Objectives

-To unify Germany with the Grossdeutschland option while showing to Prussia who's the boss.
-To become the first world power (prestige, industry, military)
-To have an empire that shadows the Roman, the Spanish and the British ones (not too sure about that, but, hell...).
-To kick France's ass as few times as possible (Ah, not to surrender to this old habit is really hard, but I will try)

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Großdeutsche Lösung: The Austrian variation
​

The German question was a debate in the 19th century over the best way to achieve the Unification of Germany. From 1815–1871, hundreds of independent German-speaking states existed. The Großdeutsche Lösung ("Greater German solution") favored unifying all German-speaking peoples under one state, and was favored by the Austrian Empire and its supporters. The Kleindeutsche Lösung ("Lesser German solution") sought only to unify the northern German states and did not include Austria; this proposal was favored by the Kingdom of Prussia. The solutions are also referred to by the states they would create, Kleindeutschland and Großdeutschland ("Lesser Germany" and "Greater Germany").

Thus, this lead to an increasing rivalry between Prussia and Austria, which was to result in the war of 1866. However, it would be convinient not to hurry events.

Once of the consequences of the Napeoleonic Wars was the dissolution of the long-lived Holy Roman Empire and the creation fo the Austrian Empire, founded by the Habsburg monarch Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (who became Emperor Francis I of Austria) with his personal lands within and outside of the Holy Roman Empire, as a result of the humiliating Treaty of Pressburg (December 1805).

After the Congress of Vienna, a German Confederation of 38 states was created under the presidency of the Austrian Emperor. Only portions of the territory of Austria and Prussia were included in the Confederation. Soon both states, which feared domination by the other, began to fight for the control of the Confederation.

Austrian influence was paramount, drawing the ire of the nationalist movements. Metternich considered nationalism, especially the nationalist youth movement, the most pressing danger: German nationalism might not only repudiate Austrian dominance of the Confederation, but also stimulate nationalist sentiment within the Austrian Empire itself.

However, this was all going to change on the morning of January 1st, 1836, as chancellor Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich stood alone in his cabinet.

 

[Rabid]

I haven't seen this before either, people always seem to burn out early on with Austrian AARs. Damn rebels

 

[unmerged(77251)]

I haven't seen this before either, people always seem to burn out early on with Austrian AARs. Damn rebels

I always tought it was the 'French Syndrome' that affected Austrian AARs: you pretty much start with all your national provinces, so you either settle for the boring rebel-fighting historical path, or go for an aggressive a-historical expansion rampage. Either way, you quickly experience a 'loss of appetite'...

Well, I whish you good luck Kurt. I thought myself of making an ultra-pops oriented Austrian AAR convering the 1836-1900 period, with limited territorial gains, but lot of internal migration. As a catholic country with load of catholic minorities, you can easily turn of half of your starting population into south-german (funniest game I had). I avoided the German unification path though, because I would have deprived me of the strongest enemy (Germany) - especially in VIP, where Russia is crippled to death. Industrial race with Germany is always very fun to play...

 

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Good luck with Austria, you'll need it!

 

[Insignificant]

I spent a long time yesterday searching for an Austrian AAR, good luck.

 

[unmerged(178457)]

Well. like i said in the Spanish forum, I'm Waiting for your type of AAR((a)Historical informative, Hilarous and several times heartbreaking,xd) and if doesn't supposed than you can only can create grossdeutchland with Austria in The VIP???, Well i need more info

I wish you luck

Att

Nivek von Beldo

 

[unmerged(86922)]

Goodluck, I will follow.

 

[Serek000]

Ah, Austria. Land of potential and broken dreams.

I'll be watching to see how Austrian policy looks in the years leading up to the Liberal Revolution. Metternich has always been a person of fascination to me.

 

[unmerged(74032)]

I always like to see AARs focusing on Austria, and I like them even more if Austria tries to unify Germany.

But, just a little nitpick, why is Metternich always so important for the chain of events? I know he was most important for the course of austrian politics throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, but this doesn't mean he is so important in all those quadrillions of parallel-universes.

Nevermind the nitpicking. I'm eager to read your first installment.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Großdeutsche Lösung: The Austrian variation​

1. The death of the stateman.

Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich, the State Chancellor of Austria, had become the embodiement of power and, if Louis XIV had said that "I'm France", Austria was Metternich and Metternich was Austria. Thus, for that reason, nobody expected that, on that frosty Viennesse morning, he annouced that he was retiring from office. Nobody expected that (1). However, nobody was as surprised as Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, the suppossed "heir" of Metternich, when the still Chancellor gave the name of his replacement: Johann Andreas Fürst von Lichnowsky, an unremarkable member of a branch of a noble Prussian family that had settled in Austria, No one expected that movement because Prince von Lichnowsky had no experience on politics. But the emperor had agreed on his nomination, so...

Bewildered, Count von Kolowrat-Leibsteinsky left the cabinet in anger while the rest of the audience remained in silence, knowing that they were the witnesses of an unique moment in history. Metternich, patting gently the shoulder of Lichnowsky, gave him his blessing and best wishes and went home, while muttering "après moi, le déluge". On the next day, he was found cold dead in his bed.

Meanwhile, the new Chancellor of Austria sat alone in his cabinet, looking at a map of Central Europe, with his eyes fixed on Prussia.

A great man passses away (2)​

@Rabid: I can tell you something. I've played till 1866 and everything goes so fine that I'm scared that a disaster may befall on Austria. Because everything is going too fine...

@qwerkus: I'm afraid I've gone absolutely ahistorical, not paying attention to what may happen, but just going after my goal... And I'm quite "hungry", trust me. And about the strongest enemy... France looks quite dreadful, trust me.

@FlorisDeVijfde: Thank you!

@Insignificant: Then search no more!

@Nivek Beldo: I must confess that I have not the slightest idea whether I can create the dreaded Grossdeutchland with Austria in the vanilla Vicky but I can tell you something: I' close to know it.

@mad general: Welcome!

@Serek000;11376455: Liberals, grrrrr....

@Treppe: I'll try, trust me. About Metternich... no idea. As you can see, I needed him no longer

(1) They expected the Spanish inquisition, but not Metternich's goodbye.
(2) Yes, this is taken from the event from the VIP, but I'm playing vanilla, don't let that fool thyself.

 

[unmerged(214024)]

Nooo! Not Metternich!

 

[Enewald]

Nein, nicht Preußen!

 

[Serek000]

Uh-oh, a Prussian in the court. Before long eating babies and bathing in blood while using the bones of adorable woodland creatures will be the norm in Austria...

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Note: The main branch of the family is Prussian, but the scion to which belongs our charming prince is Austrian before than Mozart could take a look at a piano. Take a century ago, so it's no longer Prussian, but just hardly a bit. Like the Windsors, so to speak.

 

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Metternich knows it's better to quit before the civil unrest begins.

 

[LOka]

Looks very cool!

 

[unmerged(178457)]

Well, that was unexpected, but poor Meterrich, he only work for his Kaiser and his country(and for him sometimes), but again, seeing how will advance this history(don't tell me than you take the event from VIP necessary for your task?)

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Großdeutsche Lösung: The Austrian variation​

2. The path to World Power

In the first years of prince Lichnowsky as chancellor, he followed Metternich's steps. He expanded the railroad system of the empire, linking first the main commercial centers and then extending the railroad to the whole empire, a goal that was achieved after five years of continuous work and financial investments, an achievement that no other nation in Europe was able to imitate.

The beginning...

... and the end.​

At the same time, he worked hard to keep Austria among the most technically advanced nations. All this progress would cause a constat flux of emigration from the country to the industrialized areas (Austria, Bohemia and Croatia) motivating thus the Chancellor to create some industry in Hungary, as it suited fine to his plans for the future, and some more in Transilvania, even if this part of the Empire had no appeal whatsoever to him.

Lichnowsky also maintained close ties with England while kept France under close surveillance. This alliance would be kept for many years and only, when Lichnowsky began to feel strong enough to start his most ambitious proyect, that is, the unification of all the German lands into a sigle state, only then he allowed, mistakenly, to loose his entente with London.

Once Lichnowsky had established the beginning of the eruption of Austria as a great industrial nation, he began to look for colonies to fuel his ambitious program. Thus, while the first Austrian colonizers settled in Kameroon, Congo and Nigeria, he declared war upon Oman, and invaded Tanganika.

The peaceful expansion

...and the "slightly less" expansion​

@Enewald: I wanted him to be Finnish, but too many jokes would arise... "the Fine Chancellor" "Finnish Austria est", etc, etc, etc...

@Serek000: Well, all is quite calm in Vienna, but for that same rumour about celebrating the next Oktoberst at Trafalgar Square. What have to do Bavarians with a Prussianized Austrian eludes me...

@FlorisDeVijfde: Civil unrest... now we have colonise we'll aply the British model: sned the rebels to the colonies. Enjoy Afrika, mates!

@LOka: Thak you

@Nivek Beldo: In fact, I only took the image of the VIP event and did some minor changes to the game, but, all in all, vanilla keeps being vanilla.

 

[FlorisDeVijfde]

You're surely off to an ambitious start, industrializing and colonizing (export of civil unrest you called it? ). How are your finances holding up?