The United Kingdom Increasingly Resembles Austria-Hungary
100 years ago Austria-Hungary collapsed. The conditions which brought down this Empire can be seen in the UK’s current discourse.
The United Kingdom Increasingly Resembles Austria-Hungary
Slightly over 100 years ago, one of the most important countries in European history disappeared forever. Austria-Hungary (or the Austro-Hungarian Empire) had existed since the political reforms of 1867, but the Empire existed for centuries prior under the Hapsburg dynasty. In 1918, the empire collapsed as the Central Powers did; a great power for centuries, gone in a matter of days.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland increasingly resembles Austria-Hungary. A passing view of history would suggest that the Empire collapsed because they lost WW1, but ethnic and political turmoil had divided the country for centuries, demanding the reforms in 1848 and 1867, and further plans as late (or as early) as 1906. The Brexit turmoil that is consuming the UK presently is easily cast as the disease afflicting the country, but it is better understood as a catalyst igniting tensions that have existed since before the current political situation.
