AHC: A Habsburg on the German throne

So there have been a lot of threads and TLs that have a Hohenzollern restoration after a flirt with Nazism. Now I’m wondering is there any way to get Otto Von Habsburg (or any other Habsburg) placed on the throne of Germany?
If so, what would a German Empire ruled by Otto Von Habsburg look like?

The Pod can be any time after World War 1.
 
If I may blow my own trumpet for a moment, could I suggest googling "Mr Hughes Goes To War", which I put on shwi a decade ago. I'm pretty sure it's still online somewhere.

In it, Otto's father, Karl I, becomes Emperor of Germany as well as A/H. Not very likely but it was fun to do.
 
WI Britain and France either with a Czech war in 1938, or there are preparations for and successful implemtnation of a Franco British offensive Sept 39 or luck (and maybe weather ) goes different May June 1940 and Hitler is defeated by some date between March 39 and Sept 41.

Plainly the Nazis are out but what to do next will not be clear. A Hapsberg Emporer of Gross Deuchland might be acceptable, especially if some had been visibly critizing Nazi agression from exild
 
What about an Austrian restauration before 1938? The Nazis nevertheless come to power in Germany and enforce an Anschluss, with Otto fleeing abroad and the Austrians NOT supporting it. After WWII, Germany is partitioned into a soviet zone, a southern German state under Otto (say Austria+Bavaria+Baden-Wurttemberg+Palatinate), since Otto will be a well known enemy of nazism, and a north-western German state. With time passing by, the German states unite under the lead of the economically more successful Southern German state and under emperor Otto, the life-long supporter of european cooperation.
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
A post-Anschluss Germany which sees the Nazis overthrown internally, whilst not under pressure externally to reform/change etc could work. Say that Britain makes peace in 1940, Hitler insists on Barbarossa, it starts to go wrong, and the army step in to overthrow the Nazis and make peace with the Soviets. Later on down the line, the army can hardly remain in command, but a civilian organisation would destroy their power, so as a half-way step they want return to a monarchial format but not with the Hohenzollerns, so ask a Habsburg? OK that last bit needs more work!

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
If the Americans are all for it (though I find that kind of a stretch - the US supporting the Habsburg restoration?) then Churchill might support it as well - in his Second World War memoirs he does at one point lament the collapse of the AH Empire. If this seems a good way to balance Europe and safeguard it from Stalin's empire, I could see the Brits goign for it. Keep in mind, though, this is Churchill.
 
I am thinking that Austria wins the war with Prussia ( ASB I know) and leads the unification of Germany. Of course then you have Germans sharing a country with Slavs and Italians.
 
According to the obituary of Archduke Felix in the Times today, the French were in favour of a Hapsburg restoration to the Austrian throne but the other Allies were not (one imagines the USA and USSR primarily, but Britain under Attlee may not have been enthusiastic either). It appears to me then that if one sees restoration in Austria as a prelude to Germany uniting under the Hapsburg dynasty, the best PoD may well be one that avoids the fall of France and sees the Allies defeating Germany in 1941/2.
 
I am thinking that Austria wins the war with Prussia ( ASB I know) and leads the unification of Germany. Of course then you have Germans sharing a country with Slavs and Italians.


Nothing ASB about it. Koniggratz was a very close-run thing. But that would have to be in "Before 1900".
 
the thing is that both the ausgtrian and hungarian constitutions prohibit any hapsburg from ever taken political office, let alone restoring it...this was implemented prior to ww2, so it wouldnt be a good pod...
however, it didnt say anything about prohibiting the hohenberg line, as they werent really "hapsburgs" in a legal sense (being descendents of the morganatic marriage of archduke franz ferdinand and princess sophie), and they did stand against the anshcluss and were even impisioned in concentration camps during the war period....you could have a pod, where, due to the their imprisonment and sentiments/opposition to nazi germnay, the people have their line come in as the new rulers of austria
 
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