Hungary AAR - Part X - War and Peace (1891-1895)

Welcome back to the Hungary AAR. In the last part, Ferenc Kossuth was elected into power in a dominant victory, and would become the new President of Hungary.

Ferenc Kossuth was the son of Hungarian revolutionary and Prime Minister Lajos Kossuth, which was met with mixed reaction due to Lajos Kossuth's reputation for his failed war against Austria. Despite this, Ferenc Kossuth was very far from the Liberal Party, and was a complete conservative.

The economy was undergoing a crisis, as usual. Taxes and tariffs were raised, but Kossuth fears that won't be enough to quell the crisis.

Due to the economic crisis and the rebirth of the once-floundering Habsburg Empire, Hungary's position as a great power has started to fall.

After the economy continued to flounder, Kossuth slashed the pay of the soldiers, which was met with controversy among the Army. However, no serious threats were made.

The Portuguese monarchy, led by Carlos I, has desired to colonize more and more of Africa, including the western part of the Tanganyika area, which we claim. The government orders that more colonial troops are sent into the area to protect it.

The Swedish government offers an alliance with Kossuth, who obliges.

The Diet has reshuffled to show a mild increase for the Socialist Party, but the Conservative Party still dominates and has a plurality. With the Nationalists, it's a majority.

A general who fought in one of the African expeditions dies of natural causes, and is given a general's funeral.

Rebel risk has gone down massively since the election, as everyone seems to be content with Kossuth's presidency. That, or the perpetrators of the potential revolts have been arrested.

Hungary loses its great power status to the Austrians, which is seen as unfortunate.

But Austria will lose it soon to the Belgians, which could turn out well for us in the end.

The Montenegrin monarchy and the Bulgarian republic offer alliances against the Turkish Communist threat. Kossuth obliges, and what became known as the Balkan Alliance Treaties were signed in late 1891.

Shockingly, in response, the mighty and autocratic Russian Empire offers an official Treaty of Alliance.

Aleksandr III of the Russian Empire, worried about new German emperor Wilhelm II's expansionism and looking for ways to defend Russia in the case of war against the German Empire, decided to ally with the Hungarian government. Despite Hungary being markedly more liberal than autocratic and absolutist Russia, Kossuth feels that a secure alliance with a great power is an alliance worth having.

In the midst of the alliance, a diplomatic crisis breaks out between the Germans and the Russian-backed Dutch over the potential independence of Egypt. Both France and - surprisingly - Austria back Russia, to the anger of Wilhelm II, who thought that Franz Josef of Austria would ally with him. Despite this, German power and military prowess alone can defeat a coalition of Russia, France and Austria.

After tensions in Tanganyika, the Hungarian government makes an offer to the Portuguese government - in exchange for 500,000 pounds and the Somaliland colony, Hungary claims Tanganyika, Buganda and the Kenya area. The Portuguese government agrees, and the Treaty of Lisboa (1891) leads to the territorial exchange.

Although mild controversy erupts over the Hungarians in the now-Portuguese Somaliland, little effort is made to solve the issue. It is seen as a fair deal.

A small amount of soldiers mutiny and start a rebellion in an attempt to start a military dictatorship due to anger over a lack of funding. The rebellion is quickly crushed.

However, Kossuth realizes that, with the end of the economic crisis, that raising military spending will quell anger among soldiers. As a result, a mild budget change occurs.

As tensions between Wilhelm II's Germany and the Franco-Russo-Austrian alliance grows, the German government terminates the alliance between Germany and Austria.

The Diet sees this with massive interest, as an isolated Austria without German allies means we can attack them without fear of German intervention.

However, popular support for regaining Kismarton and annexing the city of Fiume is low. It doesn't help that the Conservative Party is generally anti-war and is hardly in favor of any war. However, a war against Austria has general support among the legislature, leading to the start of plans.

The crisis ends and escalates into full-out war.

The German Empire is now at war against the Quadruple Alliance of France, Russia, Austria and Netherlands.

As the war begins, the ideas of a massive, large-scale and patriotic wars lead to the idea of the Great War. Although it's one great power against three great powers and The Netherlands, the ideas of nationalistic wars and total defeat of the enemy become increasingly common.

Fighting a four-front war, the Deutsches Heer, commanded by generals Paul von Hindenburg and Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, sends a somewhat large amount of troops first to Russia to prevent infiltration in Posen and Ostpreussen.

The Deutsches Heer overpowers the Russian Army due to a massive technological advantage, causing lopsided victories. The war seems to fare badly for the Quadruple Alliance and increases von Hindenburg's and von Moltke's prestige.

As German troops enter Vienna, Kossuth gains blessing from the Diet to execute the start of Plan Istvan.

On 1 January 1893, Hungarian troops stage a border incident in the Sopron-Kismarton border, where "Austrian troops" attack and kill three soldiers. Kossuth demands that Franz Josef pay an indemnity of 10,000 pounds for the border incident. The Austrian government doesn't send a response back.

A week later, on 8 January 1893, Kossuth announces a state of war between Austria and Hungary.

Hungarian troops start to move into Carniola, Kismarton, and Galicia-Lodomeria.

Operation Istvan stipulates the quick capture of Vienna, the occupation of Galicia-Lodomeria into the occupation of Bohemia, and the eventual total occupation of Austria and Dalmatia.

France requests military access, and Kossuth obliges.

However, the Second War of the Quadruple Alliance ends a month later by Aleksandr III with a status quo ante bellum, making the military access request null and void in purpose.

Battles start in cities like Trencin.

A picture of Hungarian troops defending against the Austrian Army, February 1893.

A defensive and technological advantage benefits us well, as the Austrian Army starts to lose morale at how much better the Hungarian Army is.

As the war starts to side in our favor, our first demand is given out;

The creation of a new, free, and democratic Polish republic.

Ignacy Daszynski, a Polish nationalist leader in Galicia-Lodomeria, took notice of the Hungarian gurantee of Polish independence and started to co-operate with the Hungarian government on starting uprisings in Galicia.

The Battle of Trencin humiliated the bumbling Austrian army. Over 21,000 men were either killed, injured or imprisoned, and a third of the 33,000 strong army was left demoralized and on the brink of capture.

The Battle of Brno destroyed what remained of the regiment as we took minimal casualties.

Ramping up the demands, Kossuth demands the re-acquisition of Kismarton.

As the demand was given, Vienna was occupied.

Emperor Franz Josef and the rest of the Habsburg imperial family fled to Innsbruck in mountainous Tyrol, far away from Hungarian advancements, to prepare for a potential anti-Hungarian insurgency.

As this occurs, a large Austrian regiment attacks the regiment occupying Vienna.

Reinforcements arrive to prevent failure.

Amilcare Ciprani, Chariman of the People's Republic, opportunistically offered an alliance to the Hungarian government in hopes of eventually taking over the lands Italy claimed as part of their nation.

Reinforcements and a much more technologically advanced army led to Dankl's army to collapse. Massive casualties were dealt, and only 15,000 escaped out of 58,000.

The war is clearly going in our favor.

As the war drags on, however, concerns arise over the attrition taken by the Hungarian Army. The naturally mountainous areas of Austria prevents supplies from effectively getting to troops as it would in Galicia and could lead to raids by insurgents. Despite this, the war continues.

Furthermore, the restoration of a new, free Poland grips the hearts of many Poles, as their nation hasn't seen independence for a hundred years and was wiped off European maps in 1795. As a result, the Fourth Austro-Hungarian War was also seen as the War of Polish Independence.

As troops finish occupying parts of Istria, they leave to destroy the Dalmatian Army that is occupying western Bosnia.

Dalmatia's Army is not as good as Austria's, which allows for easier victory, even in the mountainous Balkans.

An uprising of Albanian insurgents starts in the Socialist Province of Rumelia, demanding the annexation of the rest of Albania (including Tirana and Vlore), Kosovo and northwest Macedonia into the Albanian Kingdom.

The mountainous conditions of Austria and the Sudetes mountains have tired out the soldiers, and have led to more and more deaths from attrition, to a point where anti-war socialists argue that there's been more death from attrition than from battle, which is starting to seem more and more true.

The occupations of the Austrian cities still occur, but with less enthusiasm than prior.

The Battle of Postojna is less of a success and much more of a phyrric victory, showing general exhaustion of the war.

Meanwhile, a Greek-backed putsch in Cyprus led to the institution of a Communist government in the island. Then unification with Greece (enosis) is declared, strengthening the Greek People's Republic.

The entire Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was occupied by the Hungarian Army, to the rousing cheers of Poles.

The entire area is put in a military administration with assistance from Ignacy Daszynski.

Hungarian troops are sent to dispatch Austrian regiments in south Istria.

An entire Austrian regiment is captured.

Finally, having achieved total victory, Franz Josef II and his government signs the Treaty of Krakow on 1 October 1894, whereupon the following actions are stipulated:

1. The city of Fiume shall be ceded to Hungary.
2. The city of Kismarton shall be ceded to Hungary.
3. The rest of the Istrian areas shall be ceded to Italy.
4. The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria shall be free, republican and democratic.
5. Five-year truce.

The war strengthened Hungary as the dominant Central European power and a force to be reckoned with. Bullying by Habsburgs and Turks were no longer as easy as before.

The most important part of the Treaty was the restoration of the independence of Poland.

Poland was free once more. After nearly a hundred years of oppression under Austrian rule, the Galician territories were brought back under Polish rule, as the newly created "Polish Republic of Galicia". The government, led by Ignacy Daszynski, still has vast territorial hopes that include Congress Poland in Russia and Poznan in Germany.

Within days, the Polish-Hungarian Alliance is signed in Lwow, alongside an alliance agreement between the British and the Poles.

And, on January 1895, elections started once more.

Ferenc Kossuth, popular from his victory in the Fourth Austro-Hungarian War, was the favorite for the election. He was, of course, the Conservative and Nationalist candidate.

Kalman Tisza, sensing his old age and possible incoming death, ran one last time as the Liberal candidate.

As the election continued, the rest of Hungarian East Africa was solidified into one united colony, including the entirety of Lake Victoria, Burundi, Ruanda, Buganda, Kenya, Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

After being notified that the Bulgarians wish to have us declare war on Romania, Kossuth decides to decline going to war against Romania due to the possibility of war against the British, which the Diet and Kossuth doesn't want.

Railroads, which were sorely ignored throughout the last few decades, have started to regain attention and have had a new massive wave of building in Hungary after the war.

Madagascar, an island off the coast of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, has no one influencing it. This could be our chance for another colony.

During the election, a committee was set up in Paris to re-create the Olympic Games of old, and have every nation send their best athletes to compete. Hungary agrees to join the Committee, as the rich and upper middle class are fascinated with Greek mythology and history.

Romania is quickly occupied by Russia and its allies.

Finally, elections end, and Ferenc Kossuth wins nearly every province dominantly.

As the celebration of 50 years of Hungarian independence approach, Hungary is in a grandidose position. Fifty years after independence, Hungary has lost territory, wars, money, and has suffered through a government change, but now prospers. With a globe-spanning empire, including cities like Pozsony, Budapest, Ungvar, Temesvar, Zagrab, Sarajevo, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Tripoli and Conakry, Hungary is in the greatest position of power it has ever held.