During the First World War, the legitimacy and support enjoyed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire among its citizens and constituent peoples steadily disintegrated. With the outbreak of the conflict, particularly in the Austrian half of the Empire, a military and police regime was imposed, marked by the suppression of individual liberties, censorship of the press, and surveillance of ethnic groups deemed potentially disloyal. Harsh repression was directed primarily against the Romanians in the Hungarian part of the Empire, the Italians of Trento and Trieste, and most notably the Serbs in the Balkans. Authorities encouraged citizens to denounce any suspicion of collaborationism or anti-war sentiment, fostering an atmosphere of mutual distrust and widespread paranoia.

Moreover, due to the Allied naval blockade in the Adriatic and the pressing need to supply the military, a strict food rationing system was implemented as early as 1915, even for basic staples such as bread and potatoes. Government efforts to organise the distribution of foodstuffs often proved inefficient, and the actual quantities received by the population frequently fell short of official promises. By late 1918, the military situation was also deteriorating rapidly. These factors significantly worsened public discontent, strengthening the influence of local nationalist propaganda and activism.

By the summer of 1918, the Entente powers had already expressed the desire to support the creation of independent states such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia. In a last-ditch effort to preserve the Empire, Emperor Charles proposed the establishment of a federal state that would grant extensive autonomy to the various nationalities willing to remain within the imperial structure. However, this initiative was largely ignored, particularly in light of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's declarations favouring national self-determination.

Meanwhile, between October and November 1918, Czechoslovak, Romanian, Polish, Slovenian, and Croatian political leaders and delegates formed independent governmental and parliamentary bodies that refused to recognise the authority of Vienna or Budapest. In cities such as Bratislava and Prague, symbols of Habsburg power, including imperial eagles and Maria Theresa and Radetzky statues, were torn down. The Austrian half of the Empire was reduced to Deutschösterreich (German Austria), stripped of South Tyrol and other German-speaking territories. At the same time, Hungary ceded vast regions to Romanians, Czechoslovaks, and Yugoslavs. It was the end of the Habsburg Empire.