Inside Austria-Hungary: The internal collapse of the Habsburg monarchy during the First World Wa

Although the implications of the disintegration of multinational Austria-Hungary during World War I are great, the topic has inspired relatively little scholarly research in America. While historians agree that many of the reasons for Austria-Hungary's collapse were internal, they emphasize diplomacy as the deciding factor, stressing the role of the monarchy's political emigration, which pleaded for Austria-Hungary's destruction, and the Entente's eventual decision to sanction these endeavors. Events inside the monarchy are considered less important.;There is, however, also an internal component to the monarchy's dissolution. Even Austria-Hungary's declaration of war upon Serbia had domestic implications. It signalled the refusal of the monarchy's political elite to alter the internal status quo and ushered in a crackdown on minority populations suspected of anti-state sentiments. The nascent radicalization of the monarchy's non-Magyar and non-Austro-German populations stems from this policy. In addition to domestic oppression, the increasingly severe material shortages embittered the population.;After the death of Franz Josef and the March revolution in Russia in 1917, the new emperor, Karl, decided that the policy of repression was no longer tenable. He re-established constitutional government in Austria and loosened censorship. The freedom these measures allowed made it immediately apparent how much the war had alienated the monarchy's populace. The Slavs demanded autonomous entities incompatible with Dualism and propagandized against the state. By the spring of 1918, most non-Austro-German and non-Magyar nationalities were openly agitating for independence. Support for the retention of the monarchy was declining even among Austro-Germans and Magyars. Still, until the summer of 1918 the Entente supported the continued existence of the monarchy. Only when it became apparent that Austria-Hungary could not be detached from Germany diplomatically did the Entente endorse its destruction. By the time the Entente powers made this decision, they were recognizing an already largely accomplished fact.