Mobilising the Habsburg Empire: Austria-Hungary and war in 1914

Austria Hungary, a patchwork empire of nationalities, saw a surprising enthusiasm for war in the summer of 1914 from non Austrian subjects. Across the empire, subject peoples who still had loyalties to the empire as a whole volunteered to fight, overwhelming the offices of military recruiters. The Habsburg empire was far more suspicious of its own population than was in any way warranted, but succeeded in squandering the opportunities for greater social harmony through the closure of the Austrian parliament, the Reichsrat. Whilst this had a limited effect in 1914, the need for cooperation and plurality later on in the war would be paramount.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory.

More from Explaining History

  1. 30:03Stalin and Poland - 1939Jun 28, 2022
  2. 43:08Journalism, Propaganda and War - Explaining History specialJun 14, 2022
  3. 22:28Mobilising the Habsburg Empire: Austria-Hungary and war in 1914May 25, 2022
  4. 24:18The Nanjing Massacre 1937-38 (Part One)May 17, 2022
  5. 24:50Update: Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland and the prospects for reunionMay 16, 2022
  6. 27:39Empire, Fascism and War 1931-39May 11, 2022
  7. 23:19Rebuilding Germany - 1945May 09, 2022
  8. 22:58Britain's Convoys, Germany's U-BoatsMay 05, 2022
  9. 26:07Update: Roe vs WadeMay 05, 2022
  10. 27:44Update: The long game emerging in UkraineApr 28, 2022