"Austria-Hungary was a great asset of the Catholic Church and the ultimate hope of all true "reactionaries," as they were then considered. "Progressive" people from all parts of Europe felt their political herd instincts outraged and insulted by the mere existence of this irrational, national mosaic. Diversity was the keynote of Austria-Hungary. Twelve nationalities lived together in comparative harmony under a monarch who enjoyed such great moral prestige because he was (besides the Church) the truly uniting bond. It is hardly a question that this second largest European state would have survived to our very days if the World War had not offered an opportunity to the nationalistic middle classes to throw off the yoke of the benevolent Habsburgs with the help of the Allies, and to exchange it (after a short interlude) for the sweet yoke of another Austrian, a good deal less scrupulous in the methods of government."