Welp you're not wrong, but also you're not really right. Firstly the Entente wasn't interested in breaking A-H up until 1916 and even then there wasn't supposed to be so many countries. And mainly, you claim that so much power was given to the local governments, but you don't mentioned Hungarization or Germanization at all. Despite A-H giving certain competencies to local governments, the fact was that it wasn't at all somehow federalizing or even giving out autonomy. The central government didn't become unimportant all of a sudden. It was the push of the local governments wanting more power over their matters from the central government that fueled the independence lust. The local governments within the Austrian part had little actual power, to the point they had to fight tooth and nail to even get a national theatre or something of that matter and the important legislation being discussed in the Austrian parliament, not the local ones. And that's not even mentioning Hungary, where most people lived a life similar to a serf up until the 1940s. Hungary actively denied autonomy to it's "subjects", especially to Romanians and Slovaks. While yes, Austria did allow language to be used in administration and school, Hungary didn't. Even at the turning point of the century Hungary actively censored local languages and hunted schools teaching in local languages. As far as the Hungarian aristocracy was conserned all in their domein were Hungarian and there was no other nationality in their realm. This is truly what pushed the Empire over the edge, including what you mention in the video.

It's ironic that Franz Josef, who came to the throne after the Hungarian rebellion and was unpopular with them as such, was grown to be loved in Hungary as a result of his wife

A topic I haven't thought about for over a year, yeah its worth the half hour

19:00 "Russian revolution of 1817" I didn't remember communism being the ideology of Russia for 174 years

Another lesser known fun fact about Austria-Hungary: Austria-Hungary was the 3rd largest oil producer worldwide, after the USA & Russia in the early 20th century (especially 1909), since A-H had an oil-rich region, Galicia. The first European attempt to drill for oil was in Bóbrka, Krosno County, Western Galicia, in 1854 (which used to be part of the Austrian Empire). However, there was a decline just before WW1, and although the oil fields weren't destroyed by the Russians in 1914, oil production was stopped. Galicia was the Central Powers' only major domestic source of oil during the Great War. Today we Austrians have little to no oil at all. Imagine Austria being an oil power. 😂

All 8 of my great grandparents emigrated from the Austro-Hungarian empire to the USA around 1900, though none of them were Austrian or Hungarian. 4 were Polish, 2 were Croat, and 2 were Lemko/Ukrainian.

The equality part of the Empire showed that had it had just a bit longer to continue with their reforms, and had Franz Ferdinand not been killed, the Empire might actually be around to this day in at least one form or another. Franz Ferdinand was actually in support of greater freedoms for ethnic minorities in the Empire, and killing him crushed any chance those groups had. It's collapse ironically caused places like Yugoslavia to be even more oppressive of ethnic minorities than the Austro-Hungarian Empire was.

As an objective Hungarian I do find it pretty significant the lack of criticism against Germanization and Magyarization in the two parts of the empire. It was overall s well documented video, but the loyalty of the minority populations was largely lost with these forceful processes of German and Hungarian nationalism. The federalization should have began much more earlier and then maybe we would have another Switzerland in Central Europe

The breakup of A-H is simply an interesting case study, though i personally found it rather depressing. Looking at the direction the country took after The Compromise you almost hope that the system somehow worked and the country was slowly growing, yet it failed. A-H provide important lessons to all multiethnic countries (mine, Indonesia, included) in both how to and how not to manage a multiethnic society.

“Russia helped Austria in the 1848 revolution” is sort of a gross simplification. The Russians crushed the rebellion and without them the revolution would have been successful.

That moldavian bussy got me questioning my loyalty to the emperor

I mean, Austria didn't exactly "decide" to go to war with Prussia in 1866. War was declared on them by Prussia. In 1864, Austria and Prussia successfully defeated Denmark in a 9 month war, and Austria was given control over Holstein (a small region in that neck area where the border of what's now Germany and Denmark is). But about a year and a half later, Prussia correctly guessed that (with some help from Risorgimento Italy) they could easily defeat Austria's military, so they claimed that a certain law Austria passed in Holstein violated the treaty ending the 1864 war; Prussia used that as justification to seize Holstein and to declare war on Austria. The war only lasted about a month.

I liked how you matched the background music to the nations being discussed at the time. Franz Liszt when discussing Hungary, Chopin when discussing Poland, etc. Nice touch

Karl I wanted to stay in Austria as Emperor or monarch on some level but was refused this. He did not abdicate exactly but simply withdrew from the affairs of state' which meant the same thing. He tried to regain the crown of Hungary twice but failed. I love all of your videos! Thanks again. This one is a favorite subject of mine as well.

Yes I have been looking forward to this! Worth the wait, great video!

That must be why my Grandfather could speak 5 languages, including English, fluently according to my father. He and his family came over in 1910 when he was 7 years old and our family is Hungarian/Polish.

Well done, again! Always interesting and well made!

These types of much more theoretical historical videos are by far my favorite, and they very much remind me of Kraut's videos, especially with the distinctive art style. The fact is that you really can't cram a whole country's history into just 30 minutes, so explaining the much bigger picture first of all lets you convey that country's history without being bogged down in minor historical events, and to be honest might be even clearer that a long, in-depth look at every facet of that country, that would also probably attract less people. I feel that this sort of history is quite lacking both in educational youtube and in schools. Of course you should study the in-depth histories of countries, don't get me wrong, but especially for a wide audience that understandably wouldn't want to pick up a book or watch dozens of hours of lectures about Austrian history, I think this format is much better than just skimming over the Wikipedia article in half an hour.

Awesome to see an upload on this channel! Always great videos.

Glad you covered the Austro-Hungarian Empire because its always treated as a footnote in history.

Half an hour well spent It's was one great mess, and very complicated And you did a full on job explaining the situation Well done

just finished all of your videos, pretty good. looking forward for more

Thank you so much for the quality content yet again

In Croatia, older people spoke mostly positively about Austro-Hungary. Life was relatively good at that time, a lot was being built at that time. Today, there is a lot of architecture from the time of Austro-Hungary in Croatia. Most of the objections were to the imposition of foreign languages, ie the neglect of the Croatian language. But small nations in history have almost always been under someone’s domination. But when you compare all those forces that had power and influence in this area from the Venetians, Hungarians, Turks, Italy, Yugoslavia, to today's EU, we can say that Austria-Hungary was the most successful in its time and least hated by ordinary people. We have the opinion that Austria-Hungary lost the war and failed when Russia intervened in the First World War. This is not mentioned at all in this video.

So good video! Had known for so long about the AH Empire yet little did I know about it. Thanks for all the clear explanations and animations

As a Hungarian it's interesting to hear how people from other countries learned this. There were some things that we didn't learn the same.

Hey man, I noticed your patreon is quite humble for such quality videos. I've seen so many stupid channels with so much support and I wish creators like you who are not only informative and educational but also very entertaining.

Another banger of a video by the scope himself!

Nice to see a new video, especially about a relatively forgotten piece of the 20th century! Keep up the good work man!

Thanks for the background information. All of my grandparents emigrated to America from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Bohemia. In at least three of the cases, they were sent over by their families to live with relatives because their families could not afford to keep them or could not offer them any sort of prospects for a future.

This was incredible work Avery. I would love to hear someone try and refute your arguments, because imo they are rock solid. I learned a good deal here.

Another great video man. Always love watching this channel.

This is why I love History Scope. He explains things in incredible Depth. But at the same time keeping easy to understand. Love ya work mate!

This is gonna be a treat, or multiple treats forming an incoherent, whole treat.

Excellent vid! Love learning about an interesting empire like this one

Great video again can't wait for more!

29:08 That is objectively untrue. It was not peaceful anywhere. Hungary waged war against Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia when they invaded. And even the annexation of Burgenland wasn't that peaceful, since many locals took up arms against the Austrian soldiers.

There are a few mistakes. #1 serfs didn't give all they had to the nobility, and were far form slaves. Serfs gave about 1/10 to nobel whose land it was and about 1/9 to the church , so much less then required by today's taxes in the same area. #2 special position of Croatia within the monarchy was enjoyed because Hungarian crown that joined with Austria was a personal union of Hungary and Croatia, so each emperor had to be crowned emperor of Austria but separately king of Hungary and King of Croatia.

Always great content 👌🏿

Thank you very much for this great video. I learned a lot!

this video is jaw droppingly good

My parents are Hungarian and thus so am I even though I was born in Oradea/Nagyvárad, Romaniawity mixed ancestry. It’s interesting to learn about this!

Love the video! Great history!

Awesome work. Thanks mate

A tragic masterpiece… set to a Waltz. Bravo!

Imperial Germany without Alsace-Lorraine looks weird. That's not the first time you show pre-WW1 Germany without it. Also talking about possible ethnic conflict in early Czechoslovakia between Czechs and Slovaks and not mentioning its 2nd largest ethnic group is quite strange.

Great vide. This is the best video on UKposts about this subject

Thank you so much for your work

I am Croat, in primary school in 7th grade (2001) we had 3/4 of history classes filled with this thematic. Interesting one. Especially Khuen Hedervary and Hungarization process! Hungarians were big deal back in that age and Austria was simply dying slowly, while Hungary tried to feed on breadcrumbs. At least this was what we where learned in Croatia back then. Interesting topic that deserves more focus. Well done for this! Keep up the good work. All the best

My favorite inbred empire alongside the Confederacy. Seriously though, Austria-Hungary is constantly overlooked by other European countries.

I am looking forward to watching this video!

Awesome video! Thank you!

I think the you meant the Russian Revolution was in 1917, not 1817. Great video though!

Cool! Austria-Hungary has always been interesting. So learned a ton thx

Amazing content bro

well done!! keep up the good werk!!

Danubian federation could have been great

5:35 Weird how Germany is seen here with their Eastern territories, but the UK here doesn’t include Ireland.

28:05 I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the music starting up. The soundtrack to Mel Brooks' Twelve Chairs is so criminally underrated and underappreciated.

Excellent video. Thank you. I have been fascinated with the Austrian/A-H Empire for many years. I still think a federation would have been a better idea.

Great video

Hi well thanks for including in my history

From the book published by Samuel R. Williamson, Jr., Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the First World War , Macmillan Education, New York, 1991: (pages 24 - 26)

From the book of C. A. Macartney, The Habsburg Empire, 1790 - 1918 , Faber&Faber, London, 2014:

Excellent job once again 👏👏 Can you please make a video about the Holy Roman empire?

Good choice for background music. Good job, cousin

Interesting video. Just as a sidenote at 17:34, Istria is not a region of Romania. Istria is a croatian region. Interestingly though there is a istro-romanian dialect that is spoken in the peninsula.

As an Austrian this puts a tear in my eye.

Excellent. Keep it up.

great video :-)

The Austro-Hungarian Empire never "rose". It came out as a consequence of the defeat against Prussia in 1866.

"From the book Racial Problems in Hungary, by Robert William Seton-Watson, Archibald Constable &Co., Ltd, London, 1908:

Great video I love it

Your videos are awesome!

Oh heck yes, more History Scope!

What you got wrong was the reason for the wars in 1859 and 1866. They weren't territorial expansion, but territorial integrity, as Austria felt itself threatened by outside forces

Thank you so much amazing information

So helpful & easy to understand. Thanks.

"Serfdom is basically slavery with extra steps" nice Rick and Morty reference!

"This is just slavery with extra steps." Eeek Barbadurkle someone's gonna get laid in college.

Très intéressant reportage, merci, Danke !

Very interesting analysis.

From the book of John R. Schindler, Fall of the Double Eagle - The Battle for Galicia and the Demise of Austria-Hungary , University of Nebraska Press, 2015: (pages 25-26)

Source: Gabor Vermes, "The October Revolution in Hungary: from Karolyi to Kun", in Ivan Volgyes (editor), "Hungary in Revolution. 1918-19. Nine Essays", Univ. of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1971, page 47. "The basic problem in Hungary was that less than half of the population were ethnically Hungarian. After the Ausgleich the Hungarians made at least one attempt to solve the cultural problem involved in the situation with the nationality law of 1868. The intent of this law was to arrange for a compromise between the non-Magyar nationalities and the Hungarians. The fact was, however, that the nationalities demanded more than cultural nationalism. They were in the process of establishing ties with their co-nationals - the Rumanians, Serbians, Czechs - living outside the monarchy or in the Austrian half, and were working for political independence. Moreover, the nationality law was seldom observed in Hungary; the rights of the nationalities were violated continuously by the Hungarian government. Their schools were closed and confiscated; their protests were suppressed by the police; their leaders were jailed for long periods of time. Hungarian propagandists spoke of a country of thirty million Hungarians, and of the sacred right of Hungary to “ Magyarize ” its nationalities." Source: Joseph Held, "The Heritage of the Past: Hungary before World War I", in Ivan Volgyes (editor), "HUNGARY IN REVOLUTION. 1918-19. Nine Essays", University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1971, pages 6-7. Source: Geoffrey Wawro, "A Mad Catastrophe. The Outbreak Of World War I And The Collapse Of The Habsburg Empire", Basic Books, New York, 2014, page 63. Source: A. J. P. Taylor, "The Habsburg Monarchy, 1809-1918 : A History of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary", Hamish Hamilton, London, 1948, page 186. Source: Myra A. Waterbury, "Between State and Nation Diaspora Politics and Kin-state Nationalism in Hungary", Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2010, page 29-30.

Brilliant synthesis of a complex process. I wonder who the host is and is he has written on the subject independently of this documentary. Congratulations.

Great video, love the picture of Belgrade

3:41 Im pretty sure the colors for prussian allies and prussian annexed territory should be swapped. As for example Hanover was on Austria's side and was subsequently annexed by prussia, while Oldenburg or Mecklenburg remained (partially) sovereign until the Nazis came around

Ppl stating certain (correct) facts not mentioned in this video are ignoring the time constraints and the amount of simplification needed in videos like this. All in all this is a decent explanation of how the old Osterreich broke apart. And yes, before anyone starts typing, I know 'Osterreich' is the name of present day Austria.

This was very interesting, thanks for this! [1,178]

Please keep this up!!!

It is a very detailed video, BUT in many questions/details you are on a wrong footing IMO. Those are too neumerous to list - but the 2 main issues I would highlight - when the Empire was reformed into the A-H Empire - the Austrians basically dumped off nationalistic/ethnic questions to regional level - for example the hungarian part had to deal with its ethnicities in their own bracket (so simply the Austrians kept playing off the ethnicities against each other, partially without responsibility), another major issue was, that although there many mixed areas, most of the ethnicities was living in large blocks, so it was relatively easy to make those parts independent (ofc the largest group, the Hungarians in the center suffered the most, suffering from it till today), 3rd major issue - most nationalities (save the slovask and czechs) have their own independent countries already, so the deam of a nation state was prevalent. Comparing the A-H E. is other multi-ethnic states like the USA is actually pretty bad - you could never say that for example Georgia is all black, New Mexico is all mexican, etc. ...all-in-all a nice effort, but not really a successful one, IMO ... Greetings from Hungary! (1 last thought, IMO the Empire would have fallen eventually any way, but without WW1 there probably woudnt have been a WW2, which devastated the region, put most part under communist control, the effects are still felt today ... and all those live lost in vain)

As a Hungarian, I approve this video. Thanks!

Just fascinating. The Austrian-Hungarian empire has always fascinated me but now I know much more.

scrolled for 15 minutes looking for some type of history video to spark my dopamine. All of them looked lame until I found this! Thank you!

I liked and I'm commenting for engagement... it's the best i can do for quality content

0:59 very interesting face choice

Thanks a lot! 😁

I like how the presentation emphasized reasons and not just individuals

Croatia was the only one to have parliament along with Hungarians and Austrians. Others had parliaments?

Excuse me but the USA is not “rather famous for losing wars” 0:52