‘Stehen oder Fallen’: Österreichische Politik im Ersten Weltkrieg, by Lothar Höbelt

Abstract

Among the multitude of new works on the First World War, Lothar Höbelt’s book offers not great surprises but rather some new insights. The subtitle, “Austrian Politics in the First World War”, defines the field of investigation, while the main title, “To Stand or Fall”, reflects Höbelt’s primary intent: to focus on the courses of action available to the Imperial government during various phases of the war. In the preface, he stresses that many previous interpretations have been too influenced by the war’s final result (the monarchy’s collapse) and therefore neglected the powerful dynamics of its course. ‘The Great War (1914–1918) was fraught with surprising twists and turns, particularly where Austria–Hungary was concerned, which repeatedly contradicted all expert predictions’ (p. 7). The shifting fortunes of war form only the background of Höbelt’s account. The same may be said of social and economic developments, such as the disastrous food shortages and powerful strike movement, which appear only on the margins (in my view, to the detriment of achieving a complete picture of wartime political conditions.) Höbelt’s primary focus concerns plans for the Austro-Hungarian monarchy’s future development, particularly regarding conflicts between the various nationalities and parliamentarianism. He details the key political personalities, exploring their backgrounds, political positions, room for manoeuvre, networks, intrigues, successes and failures within the complicated political climate (Machtgefüge) created by the war. Höbelt demonstrates a great mastery of detail, which is in no way surprising given his previous studies and political interests, which lay strongly in the German nationalist camp. Given the multitude of historical actors, it was undoubtedly difficult for the author to maintain a balanced overall analysis while granting each their appropriate significance.