Austria-Hungary: Germany's Historical Empire Or Separate Entity?

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was a military and diplomatic alliance consisting of two sovereign states, the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, with a single monarch, who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. While Austria was the German-speaking heartland of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire, and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was not part of Germany. In fact, in 1866, Austria was expelled from the German Confederation following the Austro-Prussian War, which led to the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867.

Austria-Hungary was a multi-national constitutional monarchy from 1867 to 1918

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War, following wars of independence by Hungary in opposition to Habsburg rule.

The empire was a military and diplomatic alliance consisting of two sovereign states, Austria and Hungary, with a single monarch, who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies, with "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence maintained under the monarch's direct authority.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major power in Europe, geographically the second-largest country in the continent and the third-most populous. It was among the ten most populous countries worldwide and built up the fourth-largest machine-building industry in the world.

The empire was dissolved shortly after Hungary terminated the union with Austria in 1918, following World War I.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a military and diplomatic alliance

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was a military and diplomatic alliance between two sovereign states: the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The alliance was led by a single monarch, the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, also known as the Ausgleich, established the dual monarchy, which was a real union between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Compromise put an end to the 18-year-long military dictatorship and absolutist rule over Hungary, which Emperor Franz Joseph had instituted after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Hungary was restored, and the old historic constitution of the Kingdom of Hungary was reinstated.

The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies. For these purposes, "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence were maintained under the direct authority of the monarch. Additionally, a third finance ministry was responsible for financing the two "common" portfolios. The Austrian and Hungarian states were co-equal in power and were governed by separate parliaments and prime ministers.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War and constituted the last phase in the constitutional evolution of the Habsburg monarchy. It was dissolved shortly after Hungary terminated the union with Austria in 1918.

Austria and Germany have a shared history, with German being the official language of both countries

Austria was part of the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866 and led it. In 1866, Austria was first separated from Germany, and the German Confederation was dissolved. In 1867, the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire was established and led by Austria. It was rivalled by the North German Confederation from 1866 to 1871 and the German Empire led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Militarily, Austria (Austria-Hungary) and Germany (the German Empire) were allies of each other at the time. Vienna and Berlin became closely associated following the Dual Alliance of 1879, although the Habsburg Monarchy was the junior partner. Its dependence in terms of foreign policy became all the more clear after the political unification of Germany in 1871 made it the dominant power in Central Europe. In domestic policy as well, dependence on the Hohenzollern empire made the German element predominant in the multi-ethnic state. The German-speaking populations were split in their identification with Austria and Germany.

In 1918, after the end of World War I and with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires, Austria briefly renamed itself the Republic of German-Austria in a bid for union with Germany. This action was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919), created by the winners of World War I against both Germany and Austria. Throughout much of the Interwar period, Austria and Germany continued to remain separate and distinct entities. However, in 1938, Nazi Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, annexed Austria into Germany in what would come to be called the Anschluss. Following the fact that Austria under Allied control claimed independence to be secondly separated from Germany on 27 April 1945, the German identity in Austria has been weakened. The 1955 Austrian State Treaty, which let Austria gain power from the Allied occupying country, also banned the reunification of Germany and Austria.

Since 2004, meetings of German-speaking countries have been held annually with six participants, including Germany and Austria. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and the European Union. They have the same currency and a free border. However, while Germany is a member nation of NATO from 1955, Austria, in accordance with its strict constitutional requirement of neutrality, is not a NATO member.

The Austrian Empire recognised the US in 1797

The Austrian Empire's recognition of the US was an exception to its general policy of not recognising countries that had rebelled against a monarchy, given the internal difficulties posed by unrest in the Habsburg domains at the time.

The earliest surviving correspondence is from the second US Consul at Trieste, John Lamson, who was appointed on 24 December 1799 but did not arrive in Trieste until 29 December 1801. By 18 March 1802, Lamson had received an exequatur from the Habsburg Emperor Francis I.

In 1825, the US announced it was ready to conclude a commerce and navigation convention with the Austrian Empire. In 1828, Emperor Francis I instructed Baron von Lederer to negotiate a treaty, leading to formal discussions on trade. The Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between the US and Austria was signed in Washington, DC, on 27 August 1829, and entered into force on 10 February 1831.

The US and Austria established official diplomatic relations in 1838, with the appointment of Henry A. Muhlenberg as the first US Minister to Vienna. He presented his credentials on 7 November 1838. The Austrian Empire's first Minister to the US, Wenzel Philipp Baron de Mareschal, presented his credentials on 13 October 1838.

The US did not declare war on Austria-Hungary until December 1917

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was a military and diplomatic alliance consisting of two sovereign states with a single monarch, who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War, which resulted in Austria's expulsion from the German Confederation.

The United States did not declare war on Austria-Hungary until December 7, 1917, eight months after it had declared war on Germany and entered World War I. There were several reasons for the delay in declaring war on Austria-Hungary:

• In his speech to Congress requesting a declaration of war against Germany in April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson stated that Austria-Hungary had "not actually engaged in warfare against citizens of the United States on the seas," and that discussion of relations with Austria-Hungary could be postponed for the time being.
• Wilson's primary impetus for seeking a declaration of war against Austria-Hungary was the situation in Italy. American military planners believed that it might soon be necessary to deploy American forces to shore up Italian defenses against robust Austrian gains.
• Konstantin Dumba, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to the United States, had masterminded a scheme of industrial sabotage aimed at American manufacturing.
• There was an incident in April 1917 where the crew of an unflagged submarine, suspected to be Austrian, boarded and sank the American schooner SV Marguerite in the Mediterranean.
• Austria-Hungary was considered an ally and "vassal" of Germany, and Wilson charged that it was acting as the "instrument of another nation."

On December 4, 1917, Wilson appeared before Congress to deliver the 1917 State of the Union Address and requested a declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, stating that it was necessary to "clear away with a thorough hand all impediments to success." The House Joint Resolution 169, a declaration of war, was introduced and subsequently passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate on December 7, 1917, with overwhelming support. The resolution stated that a "state of war is hereby declared to exist between the United States of America and the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Government."

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