Romania And The Austrian Empire: A Historical Perspective

Romania was not part of the Austrian Empire, but it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was formed in 1867. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was created through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, which was negotiated by Ferenc Deák and brought together the Austrian and Hungarian realms under a single monarch. The two realms were governed separately, with their own parliaments, but shared a common monarch and common foreign and military policies.

Transylvania, a historical region in central and northwestern Romania, was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, which was one of the two realms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the Austro-Hungarian rule, Transylvania consisted of 15 counties and covered 54,400 square kilometres.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed after World War I, and the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 defined the new borders of Romania, assigning Transylvania and parts of Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș to the Kingdom of Romania.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire's legacy in Romania

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, ruled by the Habsburgs, left a significant legacy in Romania, which was under its rule until 1918. The empire's impact is still visible in the country today and can be seen in its architecture, culture, and even in how people vote and behave.

Administrative and Political Legacy

The Austro-Hungarian Empire is considered to have had better administrative institutions than the Ottoman or Russian Empires, and this has had a lasting impact on Romania. The legacy of the empire can be seen in higher levels of trust in state institutions and between citizens, as well as lower corruption levels, compared to regions that were part of the Russian or Ottoman empires.

The empire's influence can also be seen in the way that modern voting patterns in Romania follow the old imperial borders. For example, in the 2014 Romanian presidential election, the regions that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire backed the liberal candidate, while other regions mostly favoured a social democrat.

Economic Legacy

Around half of present-day Romania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the provinces of Transylvania, Bucovina, Banat Crisana, and Maramures. These provinces, which were ruled by the Habsburgs for centuries, are generally more developed, more urbanised, and have lower unemployment rates than other regions in Romania.

Social and Cultural Legacy

The Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy was considered "fairly honest, quite hard-working, and generally high-minded" and was relatively well-functioning and respected by the population. Even critics of the empire admit that Vienna was a centre of European creativity between 1780 and 1914 and that some people in Eastern Europe feel nostalgia for the old empire.

This influence can still be seen in the architecture of many Transylvanian cities, which copied the trends and styles of Vienna, the former capital city. Cities like Targu Mures, Oradea, Cluj, and Arad host beautiful examples of Viennese-like architecture, such as the Palatul Culturii in Targu Mures, a stunning example of Secession architecture.

Military Legacy

During World War I, hundreds of thousands of Transylvanian and Bukovinian Romanians were mobilized as part of the Austro-Hungarian Army, and up to 150,000 Romanians were killed in action while fighting as part of this army. Romanian troops fought on all European fronts of the Dual Monarchy, and some, such as Feldmarschall-leutnant Ioan Boeriu and Oberst Dănilă Papp, were distinguished for their service.

Impact on Romania's Borders

In 1918, as a result of Germany's defeat in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy collapsed, and Transylvania was unified with Romania. This was due in part to the right of self-determination invoked by the Romanian people, influenced by Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, as well as the intervention of the Romanian Army on the side of the Allies.

The Romanian campaign in WWI

The Romanian campaign of World War I was part of the Eastern Front conflict, with Romania and Russia allied with Britain and France against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The campaign took place from August 1916 to December 1917 across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time, as well as Southern Dobruja, which is now part of Bulgaria.

The Romanian Campaign Plan

Romania's campaign plan, known as "Hypothesis Z," involved attacking Austria-Hungary in Transylvania while defending Southern Dobruja and Giurgiu from Bulgaria in the south. Despite initial successes in Transylvania, the Romanian forces, aided by Russia, suffered significant setbacks once German divisions began aiding Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. By the end of 1916, out of the territory of the Romanian Old Kingdom, only Western Moldavia remained under the control of the Romanian and Russian armies.

The Central Powers' Counteroffensive

The Central Powers launched their counteroffensive in September 1916, with German troops attacking near the town of Hațeg and, later, Sibiu. The Romanian forces were forced to retreat, and by October 1916, they had returned to their initial positions. The Central Powers then focused their offensive on the Southern Carpathians, particularly the Prahova Valley and the towns of Predeal and Brașov. Despite fierce resistance from the Romanian troops and the local population, the Central Powers pushed through and entered Wallachia.

Battles on the Wallachian Plain

In November 1916, Field Marshal Mackensen's troops crossed the Danube near Svishtov, catching the Romanians by surprise. The Romanian Command prepared a counterattack, known as the Battle of the Argeș, but it ultimately failed due to a lack of Russian support. Bucharest was captured by Falkenhayn's cavalry on December 6, 1916. The Romanian Second Army retreated to the Siret River, while the Romanian government and royal court relocated to Iași.

The Stabilization of the Battlefront in Moldavia

Fighting continued in Moldavia until January 1917, when extreme frost halted military operations. The Romanian Army, supported by Russian reinforcements, managed to hold off the Central Powers' advance and stabilize the front in Moldavia. Despite heavy casualties and losses, the Romanian Army remained a formidable force, and Romania continued to fight alongside the Allies until the end of the war.

Romanian nationalism and the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Romanian nationalism played a significant role in the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which encompassed modern-day Romania and several other European states. The empire was a union of diverse ethnic groups, and the rise of nationalism before World War I challenged the notion of a shared national identity. Romanian nationalists, like their counterparts in other ethnic groups, sought self-governance and independence.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire incorporated certain levels of devolution, allowing its subjects a sense of dual identity. However, Hungarian nationalists attempted to restrict minority languages and assimilate the population, while Austrian nationalists persecuted those perceived as disloyal, including Serbian and Ukrainian speakers. These oppressive policies during World War I diminished the empire's legitimacy and boosted identification with ethnolinguistic nations.

As the war progressed, the empire's military situation deteriorated, and nationalist politicians across the empire increasingly advocated for independence rather than reform. The Allies encouraged breakaway demands from minorities, and as it became clear the Allied Powers would win, nationalist movements pushed for full independence. The leftist and liberal movements in Vienna and Budapest supported the separatism of ethnic minorities, further contributing to the empire's disintegration.

Romanian nationalism, alongside other nationalist movements, thus played a crucial role in the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by challenging the notion of a shared identity, advocating for independence, and capitalizing on the empire's weakening position during World War I.

Romanian troops in the Austro-Hungarian Army

Romania was not part of the Austrian Empire, but it was bound to Germany and Austria-Hungary through an alliance treaty from 1883. However, this agreement continuously lost value, and Romania joined the Triple Entente in August 1916.

The Romanian Army was not well-prepared when the country declared war on Austria-Hungary. The lack of equipment and qualifications, combined with infrastructural deficits, especially the poorly developed rail network, caused many difficulties.

Romanian soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army were forced to participate in the First World War, fighting for the interests of the states they belonged to. An important statistic regarding the participation of Romanians from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War was published in Sibiu in 1922. The work, titled 'The Romanians sacrifices from Transylvania, Banat, Crisana, Satmar and Maramures in the World War' by Teodor V. Pacatian, found that of the 2,979,614 Romanians in these areas, 449,796 participated as frontline soldiers, while 34,578 were part of the auxiliary services.

Romanian soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army were faced with a difficult choice between their oaths to the emperor and fighting for the unification of their territories with Romania. Many chose to desert, and in 1917, the Romanian government began gathering a number of Romanian prisoners from the Austro-Hungarian army at the Darnita camp in Ukraine. They received new instructions from a Romanian military mission headed by Colonel Pietraru, and about 15,000-20,000 people joined these formations.

The Transylvanian soldiers participated in the battles of Marasti, Marasesti, and Oituz.

The Austro-Hungarian counterattack in the Romanian campaign

Planning and Initial Moves:

• The planning for the counterattack was led by German generals Erich von Falkenhayn and August von Mackensen, who recognized the importance of stopping the Romanian advance.
• The Central Powers rapidly deployed significant reinforcements to the region, including eight divisions and an Alpine Corps under Falkenhayn's command.
• The Austro-Hungarians also sent four divisions to reinforce their lines, taking advantage of the pause in the Romanian offensive in mid-September.

Battles and Engagements:

• The counterattack began on September 18, 1916, with an attack on the Romanian First Army near Hațeg. This halted the Romanian advance and shifted the momentum in favor of the Central Powers.
• On September 29, German troops attacked Sibiu, and the outnumbered Romanians began a retreat to the Vulcan and Turnu Roșu passes.
• The Romanian Second Army launched a counterattack at Brașov on October 17 but were repulsed and forced to retreat.
• The Romanian Fourth Army, in the north, also retreated without much pressure from the Austro-Hungarian troops.
• By October 25, 1916, the Romanian army had retreated back to its initial positions, and the Central Powers had regained the strategic initiative in Transylvania.

Outcome and Analysis:

• The Central Powers' counterattack was successful in pushing back the Romanian armies and forcing them to abandon their gains in Transylvania.
• The Romanian army suffered heavy casualties and equipment losses during the counterattack, but they managed to avoid complete destruction and maintained their ability to resist further attacks.
• The Central Powers' ability to rapidly deploy significant forces and exploit weaknesses in the Romanian defenses was a key factor in the success of the counterattack.
• Despite the setbacks, the Romanian army continued to offer resistance and would go on to mount defensive operations in the Carpathian Mountains and other areas.

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