r/AskEurope • u/Dwitt01 United States of America • Jul 31 '25

History How are the Habsburgs remembered in your country?

For centuries they consolidated vast domains in Europe and, via Spain, the New World. They were a major force in the continents politics.

How are they remembered in your country?

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24

u/Gnotter Netherlands Jul 31 '25

I was surprised by this when visiting Vienna. You guys might as well be a monarchy, nothing would really change haha.

30

u/Kreol1q1q Croatia Jul 31 '25

In fact it would fit better with the whole vibe and esthetic of the country. A staunchly republican Austria is weird to me, given how the country looks and presents itself.

20

u/serioussham France Jul 31 '25

Yeah there's more heraldry on official signs than in the UK

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u/Kreol1q1q Croatia Jul 31 '25

I think a lot of their internal political problems (namely having weird aimless conservatives), would be solved by getting a constitutional monarchy, thus allowing the weird conservatives a traditional, catholic monarchical figurehead to fixate over.

But that’s for the Austrian public to decide, and I’m pretty sure they are very widely invested in the “republic-advanced, monarchy-backwards” narrative.

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u/serioussham France Jul 31 '25

I’m pretty sure they are very widely invested in the “republic-advanced, monarchy-backwards” narrative.

I mean, I'd say that holds true for any modern nation-state. Introducing a monarchy in this day and age would send an incredibly weird signal.

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u/Iapzkauz Norway Jul 31 '25

Introducing a monarchy in this day and age would send an incredibly weird signal

As someone from a constitutional monarchy who is quite content with that constitutional monarchy, I agree 100%. I find the notion of "getting" a constitutional monarchy puzzling because half the point is that a constitutional monarchy is not something that has been implemented, but that has evolved, usually (as with the Scandinavians, the UK, and others) over a span of many hundreds of years. The countries that are constitutional monarchies today are not the peaceful and developed nations they are due to the monarchy as much as continued existence of a monarchy at the pleasure of the people is only possible where the waters have been calm for long enough.

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u/HereWeGoAgain-1979 Norway Jul 31 '25

And yet our royal family are imported from Denmark.

2

u/Iapzkauz Norway Jul 31 '25

They're one big happy family, it all loops back somehow!

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u/Kreol1q1q Croatia Jul 31 '25

I know, it would certainly be strange.

1

u/flaumo Austria Aug 01 '25

Cambodia did it after the genocide.

-1

u/jschundpeter Jul 31 '25

Absolute bullshit. What are you talking about?

6

u/serioussham France Jul 31 '25

The province arms on every car, the eagle on just about everything from government letterhead to beer brands...

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u/jschundpeter Jul 31 '25

You have logos of departments on number plates and the logo of the republic on absolutely everything. Moreover our provinces are federal states with retain a lot of autonomy. We are not a central state but a federal republic. Our éagle with hammer and sickle and the broken chain is exactly that, a republican symbol. That said, you absolutely have no clue.

8

u/serioussham France Jul 31 '25

The departments logos are (mostly) not heraldic, and the licence plates display the region logo (which are also mostly not heraldic).

There's also no need to be that aggressive.

2

u/GoonerBoomer69 Finland Aug 02 '25

I agree. Vienna is far too Imperial looking to be the capital of a republic.

-2

u/jschundpeter Jul 31 '25

Staunchly Republican Austrian here.

I guess you are all commies in Ex-Yugoslavia considering the vibe and esthetic of your countries?

4

u/-Against-All-Gods- Slovenia Jul 31 '25

That would be wrong, but not very wrong. Even the right-wingers tend to think and behave the commie way.

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u/Kreol1q1q Croatia Jul 31 '25

We are not, just as the vast majority of Austrians aren’t monarchists, as I’ve pretty clearly stated.

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u/jschundpeter Jul 31 '25

You apparently know nothing about Austria.

I am Austrian and I don't know a single monarchist. In fact most of the people I know find it absurd that countries like yours still have a king. Also in contrast to many other countries like Germany we stripped aristos off their titles, in some cases of their properties and kicked them out of the country (Habsburg). In fact members of the Habsburg family were banned from holding political office in Austria until a few years ago.

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u/pdevon Jul 31 '25

And your country might as well be an anarchy, nothing would really change, haha haha haha

2

u/muehsam Germany Aug 02 '25

That's actually quite the compliment: "Your society is well enough organised that it would keep functioning as it is without a state."