Are Austrians an Ethnicity of Their Own or Just a Regional Subset of Germans?

[Breedingvariety]

Austria not being part of Germany is the biggest border anachronism in Europe.

[Musso]

Austria not being part of Germany is the biggest border anachronism in Europe.

Well, not really, Austria and Germany have historically been separate from each other politically as Austria stood as the Germanic Catholic power and Germany or Prussia as the Germanic Protestant power. Both with different spheres of influences - Austria with the Balkans, and Germany with Northern Europe.

[Ctwentysevenj]

Yes Austrians are Germans.

So are the South Tyrolese.

[Breedingvariety]

Well, not really, Austria and Germany have historically been separate from each other politically as Austria stood as the Germanic Catholic power and Germany or Prussia as the Germanic Protestant power. Both with different spheres of influences - Austria with the Balkans, and Germany with Northern Europe.

Not really. Austria used to be part of Holy Roman Empire and German Confederation like the rest of Germany.

Prussia is not synonymous with Germany. Prussia doesn't exist anymore anyway.

[The Lawspeaker]

So are the South Tyrolese.

And, in a way, so are we Dutch (and Flemish).

[Musso]

Not really. Austria used to be part of Holy Roman Empire and German Confederation like the rest of Germany.

Prussia is not synonymous with Germany. Prussia doesn't exist anymore anyway.

Yes but after the era of the Holy Roman Empire (which encompassed pretty much all of Central Europe, rather than just Germany and Austria), there was a split in power between Protestant Germans and Catholic Austrians part of the Hapsburg Monarchy. With the Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire, a separate Austrian identity developed. For several centuries, this went on.

[Breedingvariety]

And, in a way, so are we Dutch (and Flemish).

The best possible country would be Greater Germany including Austria, Swiss Germans, The Netherlands and Flanders.

[The Lawspeaker]

The German peoples (there is not a single German people but several German peoples) would be, by far, the single biggest ethnic group in Europe with around 95 million Germans in Europe (in total). Imagine Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland (particularly the German areas), the German-areas in Belgium and Denmark, the Elsass and Luxembourg being one single country. We would be the nr. 1 economic, cultural, scientific, political and military power in Europe.

[The Lawspeaker]

The best possible country would be Greater Germany including Austria, Swiss Germans, The Netherlands and Flanders.

You forget the German-speaking areas in Belgium, France, Denmark and Italy. And there are German-speaking minorities in Hungary, Russia and Romania.

[The Lawspeaker]

Bring back the old flag and no one will be able to stop us.