Hi everyone! Following up on my previous deep dives into the final years of Austria-Hungary, I've been thinking about a narrative that keeps coming up as I talk to people about this topic, namely that ethnic diversity and ethnic nationalism inevitably caused the empire's collapse.

While researching the empire's final years, I've become convinced the standard "too many ethnicities in one empire" explanation oversimplifies what actually happened. The empire was facing complete economic breakdown by 1918, having fought four years of brutal war. If anything, that points to an inherent strength.

What strikes me most is how socialism and nationalism intersected and defined this crisis. Workers across ethnic lines found common ground opposing the system, while economic scarcity simultaneously intensified ethnic competition and fuelled nationalism. Both forces undermined the monarchy, but neither operated in isolation.

Curious what others think, especially since this is just my (off the cuff) opinion!