Austria's Referendum: Denial And Its Complexities

In the game Hearts of Iron IV, Austria can refuse to hold a referendum to rejoin with Hungary. While it is possible to increase the chances of Austria accepting the referendum, it is not guaranteed. The likelihood of Austria agreeing to the referendum can be increased by improving relations and completing the Reintegrate the Railroads focus. Even with these actions, there is still a chance that Austria will refuse the referendum. If Austria refuses the referendum, players can choose to restart the game or invade.

Improving relations with Austria

First, focus on increasing your relations with Austria to above 75. This can be done through various diplomatic actions, improving your standing with Austria, and ensuring they view you favourably.

Second, complete the "Reintegrate the Railroads" national focus. This focus improves Austria's opinion of Hungary and significantly increases the chances of a successful referendum. Completing this focus, along with having good relations, gives the best odds for a positive outcome.

Additionally, you can use spies to exert diplomatic pressure on Austria. This doesn't directly affect the referendum's chances but can influence Austria's overall opinion of Hungary.

Another strategy is to improve relations with Czechoslovakia and work on the "Bled Agreement" focus. This can indirectly help with Austria by increasing regional stability and providing an opportunity to boost relations with multiple countries in the area.

Finally, having a larger army than Austria can also increase the chances of a successful referendum. This may be because Austria feels more pressured or threatened, making them more likely to accept the referendum.

Remember that even with all these strategies, there is still an element of randomness, and the referendum may not always succeed. You may need to reload and try again or consider alternative approaches if Austria repeatedly refuses.

Completing the 'Reintegrate the Railroads' focus

To complete the Reintegrate the Railroads focus, you must first complete the Secret Rearmament and War Games focuses. Then, you can use all Political Power to change your Economy Law to Partial Mobilization. This will allow you to recruit a larger amount of your population as soldiers and increase your Economy Laws.

Once you finish the Bled Agreement focus, you can remilitarize with the support of Romania. However, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia may protest this move.

After completing the above, you must rush the Demand a Referendum focus down the Balanced Budget focus tree. This will allow you to annex Austria, giving you time to also try to get Czechoslovakia.

Hungary has an incredibly weak production in Hearts of Iron IV. The only two things you should produce are Infantry Equipment and Support Equipment. You can also make all your templates into the base Cavalry template since you won’t really have time to make anything that requires more Manpower or equipment.

When it comes to Civilian Production, you should only build Civilian Factories. Until you complete the Bled Agreement focus, you will have -50% Military Factory construction speed. This means that you won’t have a chance to build any of them until at least 210 days have passed since the start.

After you increase your total Civilian Factories, you should also start working on building better Railways around your territories. Hungary starts with most of their Railways at level 1, so this is an important step.

Once you unlock more Military Factories, you should start building these pieces of equipment in order of priority:

Civilian Train (1 factory)

If you manage to reach 1940 without starting a war with Germany, you should be able to build the most powerful Cavalry template, which should help you conquer all of the lost lands of Austria-Hungary.

Using spies for diplomatic pressure

In the game Hearts of Iron IV, spies can be used for diplomatic pressure. Diplomatic pressure makes a nation more accepting of your diplomacy while simultaneously making it harder for other nations to engage in diplomacy with that nation. This can be used to invite countries to factions they otherwise wouldn't accept and can also lower the World Tension requirements when inviting a country to a faction.

To use spies for diplomatic pressure, you must first build a spy network in the target country. The strength and impact of a mission are generally dependent on the size and strength of the network. Once you have a sufficient network, you can then assign a spy to perform a diplomatic pressure mission. This will increase the target country's willingness to join your faction and accept any diplomatic action while decreasing its willingness to join any other faction.

It is important to note that diplomatic pressure missions may not be effective in historical games, but they can be useful in non-historical ones. Additionally, diplomatic pressure may not be necessary if the target country already has high relations with you.

When attempting to reform Austria-Hungary in Hearts of Iron IV, you can use spies for diplomatic pressure to increase the chances of a successful referendum. However, it is not a guarantee, and you may still need to restart the game or invade Austria if they refuse. Improving relations with Austria and completing certain focuses, such as the railroad focus, can also increase the chances of a successful referendum.

Improving relations with Czechoslovakia

Focus on the Bled Agreement and Infrastructure:

Before attempting to improve relations with Czechoslovakia, it is advisable to first focus on the Bled Agreement and infrastructure development. This will lay the groundwork for better relations and increase your chances of success.

Increase Relations and Integrate Railroads:

Start by boosting your relations with Czechoslovakia to above 65. This can be done through various diplomatic actions and improving your standing with them. Additionally, the "Reintegrate the Railroads" focus can have a positive impact on your relationship. Completing this focus will increase your chances of a successful referendum.

Time it with Germany's Sudetenland Focus:

Keep a close eye on Germany's actions by maintaining a spy network within the country. Try to time your referendum while Germany is in the middle of demanding the Sudetenland. This will significantly increase Czechoslovakia's likelihood of accepting annexation.

Use Diplomatic Pressure and Non-Aggression Pact:

Establish a spy agency and exert diplomatic pressure on Czechoslovakia. This will help improve relations and increase the chances of a positive outcome. Additionally, consider signing a Non-Aggression Pact with them to further boost your relationship.

Increase World Tension:

Increasing world tension to above 60% can work in your favour when trying to improve relations with Czechoslovakia. This can be done by justifying war goals against other countries or taking certain actions that raise tension.

Strengthen Your Military:

Ensure that your military strength is greater than that of Czechoslovakia. This will make them feel more threatened by Germany and more inclined to accept your demands. Consider training additional divisions and positioning your troops strategically.

Save and Reload:

If your initial attempts are unsuccessful, don't be discouraged. Save your game before initiating the referendum and reload if it is rejected. Sometimes, the outcome is predetermined, and reloading can give you a different result.

Consider Alternative Strategies:

If all else fails, you can always consider alternative strategies such as invading Czechoslovakia or forming alliances with other nations to strengthen your position. Remember that improving relations is just one path to achieving your goals in the game.

Using the 'Bled Agreement' focus

The Bled Agreement focus allows Hungary to revoke some of the restrictions placed on it by the Treaty of Trianon, which disarmed Hungary after World War I. This includes the recreation of the Hungarian Air Force and the increase of the Hungarian Army's manpower, guns, and munitions.

To successfully use the Bled Agreement focus, there are several steps you can take to increase your chances of Austria accepting the referendum:

• Improve relations with Austria: Having high opinion or relations with Austria will increase the chances of a successful referendum.
• Complete the "Reintegrate the Railroads" focus: This focus tree option improves Austria's opinion of Hungary and increases the likelihood of a positive referendum outcome.
• Send a spy with a "diplomatic pressure" mission.
• Improve your military presence: Although perceived threat is not a factor in the decision for some players, increasing your military presence along the Austrian border may influence the outcome.
• Time your focus completion: Completing the focus at a different time by taking another focus first or waiting at least 11 days can change the random number seed and potentially improve your chances.
• Restart your game: Since the outcome of the referendum is predetermined and seeded at the start of the game, restarting your game can change the seed and potentially improve your chances.

Even with these steps, there is still a chance that Austria will reject the referendum. In that case, you can either reload an earlier save and try again, or you can choose to go to war with Austria, which will also remove the Treaty of Trianon restrictions.

Frequently asked questions