17 - the United States of Greater Austria
Franz Ferdinand’s assassination at Sarajevo in 1914 triggered the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Archduke and crown prince is known mainly for this (and for the Scottish band named after him), but here’s another interesting piece of info about him:
A group of scholars surrounding him came up with a plan to re-arrange the volatile Double Monarchy into a United States of Greater Austria. This specific plan was proposed by Aurel Popovici - a Romanian, by the sound of his first name - in 1906. What if he had not been killed, and had been able to push through this kind of reform? Would Austro-Hungary have been a viable state?
Prior to World War One, Austro-Hungary was unstable because, as a multi-ethnic state, it was dominated by two out of eleven nationalities - Germans and Hungarians, totalling 44%. Each of these two nationalities controlled roughly one half of the Double Monarchy. Revolts and resistance by the other nine nationalities made this situation untenable.
Franz Ferdinand wanted to re-draw the map of his country into a number of states that would be as ethnically and linguistically uniform as possible. These would be supplemented by small autonomous areas, mainly German-speaking ‘islands’, for example in the south of Hungary. The states in Popovici’s plan were defined as:
- German Austria
Present-day Austria and South Tyrol, now a part of Italy. - German Bohemia
Northwestern part of the former Sudetenland, now in the Czech Republic. - German Moravia
Northeastern part of the former Sudetenland, now in the Czech Republic. - Bohemia
Present-day Czech Republic, minus the former Sudetenland. - Slovakia
- West Galicia
Part of present-day Poland. - East Galicia
Part of present-day Ukraine. - Hungary
- Szeklerland
Part of present-day Romania. - Transylvania
Part of present-day Romania and Ukraine. - Trentino
Part of present-day Italy. - Triest
Part of present-day Italy. - Carniola
In German: ‘Krain’, present-day Slovenia. - Croatia
- Vojvodina
Part of present-day Serbia.
The borders don’t completely correspond to those of today, but some of the nations that would eventually appear after the First World War are prefigured quite accurately, especially Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia.
More information (and this map) on this Wikipedia page.
Nice find! Thanks for your work on strange maps. Very interesting!
Comment by Adam — October 24, 2006 @
Thanks, Adam. Please check regularly for updates - and should you come across a strange map that’s not on this blog yet…
Comment by strangemaps — October 25, 2006 @
If you’re interested in some other maps with a different perspective, check out http://salmonnation.com/place/lands_and_waters.html of a bioregional community defined by the historic run of salmon, and http://www.environment.nau.edu/raft/map.htm of North America defined by totem foods.
Comment by Andrew — November 7, 2006 @
[...] This map illustrates the ‘Totem Foods’ of North America, celebrating ”the many distinctive regional food traditions on the North American continent by featuring a totem food key to the identity of each region. These totem foods are more than just important commodities - community feasts, household rituals, song, stories and the nutritional well-being of residents have revolved around these foods for centuries.” Contributed by Andrew as a comment on post #17 on this blog and to be found here. [...]
Pingback by 40 - Totem Foods of North America « strange maps — November 23, 2006 @
[...] I recently found an excellent blog named Strange Maps that, as its name says, posts strange and interesting maps online. Today I would like to comment on one in particular. [...]
Pingback by Shouting Into The Void » Blog Archive » United States of Greater Austria — February 13, 2007 @
From the view of someone living in Transylvania, the United States of Greater Austria is very interesting. Had this plan been implemented before the First World War, it might have saved much bloodshed and turmoil. A Transylvanian Romanian commented to me that, were Transylvania independent and prosperous, it might still be functioning without the 1878 Romania (Wallachia and Moldavia) necessarily ever being permitted to join. Thus making Transylvania neither Hungarian nor strictly Romanian.
Comment by Transylvanianhorseman — February 13, 2007 @
It’s not Szekler!
It’s Székely!
Comment by Hugohami — February 27, 2007 @
@ Hugohami:
Granted, the Hungarian name is ‘Székely’, but the same group is identified as ‘Secui’ in Romanian and ‘Szekler’ in German. Since the term describes a Hungarian ethnic group, it’s only fair that the Hungarian name be used. My information however is based on primary sources that are probably written in German.
Comment by strangemaps — February 27, 2007 @
Wasn’t Bosnia part of the Empire ?
Comment by Robert — March 11, 2007 @
Robert, Bosnia was not made part of the empire until after 1906 when this proposal was drawn up. When the Ottoman Empire desolved, the Balkans became a free-for-all and Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in October, 1908 which caused indignation in Serbia who also had their eyes on it as part of a Greater Serbia. If you’ve ever played “Diplomacy” you’ll notice that Bosnia is included as part of Austria-Hungary even though it is set in 1901 which causes some confusion.
Comment by Daniel Clohesy — April 22, 2007 @
@Transylvanianhorseman this in an utopia 100 times bigger than Yugoslavia, where the nations were somehow related by their Slavic origins. But in this utopia no one is related to anyone.
Comment by Vlad — May 5, 2007 @
who ever created this map dosent have any idea how austro hungarian empire was build of firstly so called “german austria” was build of carniola styria (in german steiermark) tyrol and on and on and non of this lands were totaly german infact most of german were germanized slavs. real map can be seen on this german site:
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/webpages/kuk_Laender_Donaumonarchie.gif
or go on this site for english names of states if u dont understand german
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Austria-Hungary_map.svg
Comment by SSSSS — July 30, 2007 @
there was no such think as german austria it was only land states witch were made of difrent nations in north of “german austria” were many czehs and slovaks in south there were many slovenians and many land states were half half by nationality especialy slovenians were large minority in southen so called german austria states carniola was 98% slovenian (and is still in present slovenia) steiermark(or styria) was half slovenian (now half of styria iss in slovenia)Carinthia was also haf slovenian an some 1/4 of land is now in slovenian rest of carinthia is now in present day austria and i must add that many slovenians are being still germanised altho new eu laws says that minority should be granted same rights to use language and austria still didnt place duble language signs on road so some 14% ppl has been germanised after 2 ww and too think that before 1700 almost all ppl were slovens in this state land other no to menrion other states and lands!!
Comment by SSSSS — July 30, 2007 @
Long life to the Empire!
Damn Italy, damn Slovenia.
Comment by Reegard — September 19, 2007 @
Robert, Bosnia was not made part of the empire until after 1906 when this proposal was drawn up. When the Ottoman Empire desolved, the Balkans became a free-for-all and Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in October, 1908 which caused indignation in Serbia who also had their eyes on it as part of a Greater Serbia. If you’ve ever played “Diplomacy” you’ll notice that Bosnia is included as part of Austria-Hungary even though it is set in 1901 which causes some confusion.
Comment by Narty Austria — November 16, 2007 @
SSSSS, of course there was no such such thing as german austria and so on… the map illustrates a plan that was proposed in 1906 to reorganise the empire. The plan was never carried out.
Comment by thomas — January 28, 2008 @