For decades, the reputation of the Austro-Hungarian Army and Conrad as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history was a matter of national pride among patriotic circles in post-war Austria—though his policies and tactics had already been criticized by contemporaries like Karl Kraus, who in his satirical drama The Last Days of Mankind portrayed him as a vain poser (I 2).
I årtier var den østrig-ungarske hærs og Conrad ry som en af de største feltherrer i moderne historie et spørgsmål om national stolthed i patriotiske kredse i Østrig - selv om hans politik og taktik allerede var blevet kritiseret af samtidige såsom Karl Kraus, som i sit satiriske drama Die letzten Tage der Menschheit fremstillede ham som en forfængelig posør (I 2).