Austro-Hungary (Pre-WWI) was an assortment of nations including modern day Hungary, former Yugoslavia, parts of Czechoslovakia (Sudentland), pieces of Romania (Transylvania), and a bit of Italy (Alps). Austria was the leading economic power and enjoyed the strong support of not only smaller countries like Greece, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, but it also shared a loose alliance with Germany and ties with Italy. This all changed with the outbreak of WWI which in the end, left Austria shattered and the mighty Austro-Hungary power divided into three main, but smaller empires. Austria, Yugoslavia, and Hungry with bits going to Italy, newly founded Czechoslovakia, and Romania. Having Germany in shambles, Austria's main trading partner, in debt and even more war-torn didn't help matters at all.
Communism had a brief flourish afterwards but was quelled when Germany annexed Austria, in 1938, contrary to the late Otto Von Bismarck's policy of keeping Austria out of the Greater German Reich ironically because he felt that they were to racially impure and could keep the racial impurities at bay. It used its newly gifted military to crush the communists and keep them, along with other opposition parties, down well past 1945.
With the end of World War II Austria was once again a derelict hulk floating through the motions. Forced to sign a Treaty of Neutrality Austria quickly rebounded again with all kinds of dreams of a new world. Though the idealism wears off the memory lingered on, fueling the economy and productivity of the country as it slowly rebuilds itself. The tense Quintonnian-Soviet relations only marred the short period lasting ten years after 1945 a few times but thankfully Austria was not involved beyond its needed role of quaint, somewhat backward, second-tier European power.
Acting as a seller of Hungarian foodstuffs and a manufacturing center for Eastern Europe Austria chugged along amicably. As the years went on, Austria still remembered its years of strength with the Habsburg Monarchs directing land almost four times greater than current Austria. These feelings would slowly form into the entity: Prussian Sovereign Federation.
In the year leading up to the 2004 elections the Prussian Sovereign Federation, a party gaining momentum since 2000, lead under Anthony Drekcsler withdraws its vote for Drekcsler but instead places it on the new politician Maxen von Bismark and his party the Free Market Society. While not much is known about Maxen he is obviously a competent capitalist, a new breed of politician, player, and CEO. The two parties later form a governing board for both the parties under the title of The Prussian Political Entity.
The 2004 elections where something of a fluke, at least to the people that didn't understand the Austria person or his beliefs. In those elections the Prussia Political Entity swept into the Chancellery and Parliament like children to candy, getting a majority of the seats for their coalition and enters the record books for being one of the first Austrian parties that don't have to then make a broader coalition government.
As nationalistic feelings continue to rise inside the Prussian Entity and Austria as a whole Maxen marches into the Holy League Congress to appease some of the dissenters and to gain political capital to move forward his appointment of High Justices.
Few truly know what happened there but it seems the Chancellor was a little lax in definite answers, as nothing was ever firmly accomplished there. What was cemented then was the aspiration of Austria's southern neighbor, Yugoslavia, to keep the Balkans neutral and Holy League free.
With little, if any warning, the Yugoslavians attacked on June 26th (no latter than July 1st), launching massive infantry columns into Austria. While the smaller Austrian force managed to stave off the incursions towards Innsbruck and Klagenfurt, they desperately hoped for the deliverance, long sought and assured, that the Holy League promised.
As historians will no doubt come to realize is that Russia, France, and maybe even Spain had no real plan for Yugoslavian aggression. Spain was on the ball quickest but for an unexplainable reason the countries stopped, froze even. It seemed as the Holy League countries had pursued so many options to quickly and where now leaving Austria out to dry.
Faced with overwhelming numbers, adequate equipment, and excellent preparation, Austria was slowly buckling under the pressure. In desperation Trugen, commanding down south a small force around Klagenfurt charges straight at the Yugoslavian horde and almost succeeds in pushing the Slavs back over the Danube (Dan-u).
It would be of no use in the end. As another army climbed out of the black hole of Yugoslavia to smite down and surround the eager Trugen, a force under Crown Prince is sent to try and cut this massive infantry's stomach out by cutting the supply lines.
Before Crown Prince could fall apoun the Slavic horde and before Trugen could make the final push a cease fire was brokered. Of sorts, no one quite knows why the Slavic's pulled out, because Austria had pulled out of the League some say, but we will never really know. Other countries diplomats sent diplomats but all they had was a fun ride being chauffeured across Yugoslavia so nothing there. Who knows? I'm happy enough it happened.
Regardless the damage was already done, Silvarian Marks were looted far beyond the Treasury Ministry's ability to pay if they all came back to be paid in silver. To make matters worse it seemed a pro-African league had set itself up, and was seemed to be disrupting silver loads from South Africa. So now little silver and many Marks caused a panic, of sorts. Which required Maxen to assure investors and holders that enough silver was there, and so no one needed to start rushing Austrian banks.
As The War of Holy Aggression, so termed by myself, heats up Austrian takes to the sidelines again and meddles a little bit everywhere in Africa. From Cameroon and Sao Tome to Nigeria Maxen is everywhere. Being the best behind the scenes player. While that is all good, a increasingly violent internal revolt takes a sinister turn.
A minor accountant at Austria's IRS sees some discrepancies in some tax returns by the First Reich party. While a minor party, not even a whole percentage point in the elections, he makes sure to give the information up to his superiors so they can do the usual business of investigation.
A couple days later several First Reich men are arrested for money laundering along with several higher Prussian Sovereign Federation members. The case then completely escalates, the men squeal and swear that Drekcsler himself was paying them to hinder the personal efforts of Maxen's companies and policies from any means necessary short of killing. While unsure of the full implications a report is given to Maxen who knows exactly how the pieces fit together.
Enraged he embarks on a war to uncover the truth, using his Special Directive Units (on almost continual loan from his former role of State Treasure) he finds that the evidence is overwhelming. The ideals that should propel Austria into the new feature is being systematically corrupted by money, degrading morally, and is planning to get rid of him. Drekcsler, realizing Maxen has uncovered him uses his party guards to arrest Maxen, form an entirely new party, and seize the reins of the government,
Drekcsler succeeds on August 5th, and then embarks on his vision of Austria. Which includes a authoritarian government, militaristic, and a true empire spanning continents. He mobilizes and strengthens the army, and then promptly invades Mauritania. He lays groundwork for the invasion of the Czech Republic, and is only partly dissuaded by the French into leaving Mauritania for the Spanish, and because a re-invigorated Yugoslavia is now looking edgily over the border in preparation for a new Balkan War.