Jews, Gypsies, Kurds, and other minorities were generally safe within autocratic regimes such as Habsburg Austria and Ottoman Turkey but were killed or oppressed when these autocracies began giving birth to independent states dominated by ethnic majorities, such as Austria, Hungary, Romania, Greece, and Turkey.
In Robert D. Kaplan's "Eastward to Tartary," he discusses how various minority groups, including Jews, Gypsies, and Kurds, experienced a shift in their safety depending on the political climate of their regions. Under autocratic regimes like Habsburg Austria and Ottoman Turkey, these minorities often found a degree of security. However, this changed dramatically with the advent of independent states influenced by ethnic majorities.
As these new nations emerged, the focus on ethnic homogeneity led to increased oppression and violence against minorities. Countries such as Austria, Hungary, Romania, Greece, and Turkey became places where the rights and lives of these groups were jeopardized, revealing how the transition from autocratic rule to nationalistic governance created dangerous environments for those outside the dominant ethnic groups.
