Many history lovers are very fond of The modern and contemporary history of Europe, although the history of European countries is not long, naturally it is not as good as the splendid historical civilization of China, but throughout the modern and contemporary history of Europe, the intertwined and complicated political stories of European countries at that time are also very worthy of scrutiny and study, especially the causes of the First and Second World Wars are worth exploring.
World War I and II changed the fate of many European countries, and the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire came to an end on the stage of World War I. Why did the huge empire, which ranked among the best in terms of productivity and military power, lose, and what was the hidden reason for this?
In fact, before the outbreak of World War I, the relationship between austria-Hungary and the four countries of Britain, France, Germany and Russia was very close, and was jokingly called "five good brothers who are connected by brothers and sisters" by posterity. At that time, the power of the five countries was very strong, and they became the world's great powers at that time, especially in the European region, quite influential, especially the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was vast and had the third largest land area in Europe, which showed that its strength should not be underestimated.
Why, then, was the Austro-Hungarian Empire split into multiple countries after the end of World War I? Why is it said that the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused the First World War? For a long time, austria-Hungary and Germany had quite a relationship, and the relationship was even closer than that of Britain, France and Russia. Speaking of the reasons, the depth of diplomatic relations between Austria-Hungary and Germany is actually due to certain historical factors.
After the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire, it was divided into three parts: Germany, France, and Italy.
Germany at that time was not a state, but more of a concept, and its territory was composed of multiple city-state powers. At that time, of these city-states, the Austrian city-states and the Prussian city-states were the most powerful. After years of war and crusade, the Prussian city-state unified the various forces within its borders, and the Germany established became the later Germany.
So, from this historical information, the basis and fundamentals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were Austria and Germany. The Hungarian nation was the second largest nation in the Austrian Empire, and the Austrian Emperor, fearful of the Hungarian aristocracy, negotiated and mediated between the Austrian and Hungarian nationalities for peace and stability, and finally decided to unite Austria and Hungary.
After the two peoples reached their intentions, the Austrian Emperor Franz was promoted to become the Emperor of Hungary, and this association was later called the "Austro-Hungarian Empire". This was very rare at the time, when one person acted as emperor of two countries, and of course this union also laid the foundation for the future strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Later, after years of continuous expansion, the Austro-Hungarian Empire became stronger and stronger.
At this time, they not only had a vast land and abundant resources, but also the total population had risen a lot. Moreover, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also very rapid in the development of science and technology, especially in terms of equipment, gunpowder, and steel, and its strength was very strong, becoming the fourth strongest scientific and technological power at that time. Moreover, due to the size of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the vast range of resources, its crop varieties are diverse, and its crude oil production ranks first in Europe. So, what was the reason for the disintegration of this vast Austro-Hungarian Empire from glory to disintegration?
For one reason: austria-Hungary embarked on the path of militarism, and it became embroiled in World War I.
In fact, Bosnia was originally an independent country, as early as the nineteenth century, under the strong attack of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, unfortunately defeated, and eventually, it became a vassal of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Therefore, the people of Bosnia have a bad breath in their hearts, and they have been waiting for the day when they can take revenge and restore an independent country.
The time goes back to June 28, 1914, because it was Bosnia's national day, and Ferdinand and his wife visited Sarajevo. Since Ferdinand was the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his status was very special. The purpose of the group's visit to Bosnia was twofold: one was to show the style of heir, and the other was to understand the movements of his territory.
Moreover, Archduke Ferdinand also had his own selfish intentions, that is, he wanted to show his power to his wife, so that she could feel the noble treatment given to her by the "Mother of the Nation" in Sarajevo. This is like a husband giving his wife a precious gift, and as a husband, he expects his wife to be treated with courtesy in Sarajevo, and he hopes that his wife will also enjoy a glory that has never been seen in Vienna.
But the Ferdinands took it lightly, forgetting the fact that Bosnia had always regarded Austria-Hungary as an enemy. Bosnians had been enslaved and oppressed in their territories, and their hatred of austria-Hungary was growing dramatically, and the entire territory that originally belonged to Bosnia itself was annexed by austria-Hungary, and new hatred and old hatred surged into their hearts, and revenge was finally put into the Ferdinands.
As the news of the arrival of the Ferdinands is well known, the plan to murder the Ferdinands is also heating up. At the time of the crime, the bullet penetrated the neck and abdomen of the Ferdinand couple, and the two immediately spilled blood on the scene, killing both on the spot. The people of the Austro-Hungarian dependency took hatred and resentment at the couple, with the tragic death of the two grand dukes.
At this point, the First World War officially began.
Later, Germany and Austria-Hungary became the defeated countries of World War I, and the population was displaced. Not to mention the labor of the people and the loss of money in the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time had been torn apart by the chaos of the war, and the prosperity of the former huge empire was even more destroyed by the fire of war. At that time, for the victorious countries of the First World War, they all regarded the United States as their leading big brother.
Later, the President of the United States announced the "Fourteen Principles of Peace", expressing the responsibilities, obligations, and punishments that the defeated countries needed to bear after the war, and in the end, all these things were thrown to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At this point, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Poland. Moreover, Romania and Italy also acquired part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
It can be said that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was decomposed into a multi-nation state, although it had long been a fact in the war, but it was also a matter of last resort.
Resources:
["Austro-Hungarian Empire", "Sarajevo Incident", "Historical Materials of the First World War"]