Public Approval Of The Hohenzollerns/Habsburgs

[CSENYC]

When the Hohenzollerns and Habsburgs were overthrown in Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1918, how unpopular were they? Were they unpopular just among the left wing, or were they unpopular among the general public? Basically: were they overthrown because they were broadly unpopular, or did an anti-monarchist movement (whether or not solely in the political elite) just seize the day and get rid of them?

Are there opinion polls or other evidence of their (un)popularity, such as vote tallies?

Thanks.

 

[JR76]

Public approval of Hohenzollerns/Habsburgs

It's been said about the Weimar Republic that it was a republic populated by royalists but that must be a truth by modification since there was a very strong and vocal part of the population that must've been republican. On the other hand the local royal families like the Wittelsbachs enjoyed widespread support in their old kingdoms. In Bavaria the support was so strong that many felt a restoration was just a matter of time. When it comes to the Habsburgs, according to Wikipedia Otto von Habsburg was made an honorary citizen in 1603 municipalities between 1931-1938. At the same time it was said that he himself enjoyed widespread support but that people didn't want his mother and the rest of the extended family back. A Habsburg restoration was seen by many, including the Austrian Jews, as the only way to stop the Germans from annexing Austria.

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[Von Schlesian]

There are certainly groups and parts of German and Austrian society where it would appear the monarchy is alive and well. They are not exactly clandestine, but rather private clubs and organisations where shameless approval and endorsement of the theory that constitutional monarchy would be an asset and positive influence in both countries. They aren't political parties or agitators, but rather gatherings of like-minded people.
I once attended one such gathering in Vienna where, despite the constitutional abolition of titles of nobility, those nobles present were addressed by their appropriate pre-republican courtesy titles.

These views are in some cases, too sensitive for publication in mainstream media, as they also appeal to various forms of extremism. But there are certainly German and Austrian monarchists who retain a quiet hope that they may one day see a restoration of one kind or another.