Austrian Empire was proclaimed as the monarchical state in 1804 and lasted until 1867, and then transformed into Austria-Hungary.Otherwise, it was called the Habsburg empire by the name of one of the Habsburg, Franz, who, like Napoleon, also proclaimed himself emperor.
Heritage
Austrian Empire in the 19th century, if you look at a map, it looks like a patchwork quilt.One can see that this is a multiethnic state.And, most likely, it is, as is often the case, deprived of stability.Looking through the pages of history, we can see that it happened here.The tiny colored specks collected under the one border - this is the Hapsburg Austria.Map shows particularly well how the land was fragmented empire.Hereditary holdings of the Habsburgs - small regional areas, populated entirely different people.The Austrian Empire was formed about that.
- Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic.
- Transcarpathia (Carpathian Rus).
- Transylvania, Croatia, Vojvodina (Banat).
- Galicia, Bukovina.
- Northern Italy (Lombardy, Venice).
Not only is the origin of all peoples was different, but religion is not the same.The peoples of the Austrian Empire (thirty four million), half were Slavs (Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs. Magyar (Hungary) was around five million, about the same number of Italians.
At the crossroads of history
Feudalismthe time has not yet run its course, but the Austrian and Czech craftsmen already could well call themselves workers, as the industry in these areas is quite evolved to the capitalist.
Habsburgs and the surrounding nobility were the dominant force of the empire, they took all of the most senior positions -and military and bureaucratic. Absolutism, the dominance of tyranny - the bureaucratic and security in the face of the police, the dictates of the Catholic Church, the richest institution in the empire - all this somehow oppressed small nations, joined together as irreconcilable even in a mixer water and oil.
Austrian Empire on the eve of the revolution
Czech Germanize quickly, especially the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy.Landowners from Hungary choked millions of Slavic peasants, but they are also very dependent on government-Austrians.The Austrian Empire was pressing hard on his Italian provinces.Even difficult to distinguish between the kind of oppression that was: fight feudalism with capitalism or purely national differences.
Metternich, head of the government and an outspoken reactionary, thirty years forbade any language other than German in all institutions, including the courts and schools.The population was mainly peasant.Regarded as free, these people are completely dependent on the landlords, paying dues, practiced trespass resembling serfdom.
Not only the masses of the people groaned under the yoke of the feudal system and the residual absolute power with its arbitrariness.The bourgeoisie, too, was unhappy and apparently pushing people to revolt.Revolution in the Austrian Empire of the above reasons was simply inevitable.
National Self
all freedom-loving peoples and awe belong to the development and preservation of the national culture.Especially Slavic.Then, under the weight of the boot of the Austrian, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians and Italians tried to self-government, the development of literature and arts, sought instruction in schools in the national languages.Writers, scientists united by one idea - national self-determination.
The same processes were Serbs, Croats.The harder the conditions of life became, the brighter flourished dream of freedom, which is reflected in the works of artists, poets and musicians.National cultures rose above reality and inspire compatriots on decisive steps to freedom, equality, fraternity - the example of the French Revolution.
uprising in Vienna
In 1847, the Austrian Empire "has acquired" quite revolutionary situation.Acuity she added the general economic crisis and two years of bad harvests, and the impetus was the overthrow of the monarchy in France.In March 1848 revolution in the Austrian Empire matured and broke.
workers, students, artisans were building barricades in the streets of Vienna and demanded the resignation of the government, not afraid of the imperial troops, nominated to suppress unrest.The government made concessions, dismissing Metternich and some ministers.There was even promised a constitution.
The public, however, is rapidly arming: the workers in any case, did not get anything - even the right to vote.Students created Academic Legion, and the bourgeoisie - the National Guard.And resisted when these illegal armed groups tried to dissolve than the Emperor and the government was forced to flee from Vienna.
peasants, as usual, in the revolution had not participated.Mostly spontaneously rebelled, refusing to pay rents, and landlords illegally cutting down trees.Consciousness and organization of the working class was, of course, more.Fragmentation and individualism of labor solidarity is not added.
incompleteness of
Like all German, Austrian revolution was not completed, although the bourgeois-democratic to call it is already possible.The working class is not yet sufficiently ripe, the bourgeoisie, as always, the liberal and behaved treacherously, plus was available for national strife and military counter-revolution.
Win failed.The monarchy has renewed and strengthened triumph over oppression impoverished and disenfranchised peoples.Positively though some reforms have taken place, and most importantly - a revolution finally killed the feudal system.Well, and that the country has maintained its territory, because after the revolution broke and more homogeneous country than Austria.Map of the Empire has not changed.
rulers
In the first half of the nineteenth century, until 1835, all the affairs of state to administer the Emperor Franz I. Chancellor Metternich was smart and had great weight in politics, but to convince the emperor was often impossible.After the unpleasant consequences for Austria the French Revolution, all the horrors of the Napoleonic wars, Metternich most coveted impose such an order to the country's peace.
But Metternich was unable to create a parliament with representatives of all the peoples of the empire, the provincial Diets were never any real authority.However, quite economically backward Austria, with the feudal reactionary regime for thirty years Metternich turned into a strong country in Europe.Great is his role in the creation of counterrevolutionary Holy Alliance in 1915.
effort to keep the scraps from the complete collapse of the empire, the Austrian troops brutally crushed the uprising in Naples and Piedmont in 1821, retaining the complete domination of the country over the Austrians neavstriytsami.Very often suppressed riots outside Austria, due to which the army of this country has gained an unfortunate reputation among adherents of national self-determination.
An excellent diplomat Metternich by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Emperor Franz administer the internal affairs of the state.With scrutiny it tracks all the traffic in the area of education: the officials to strictly check everything that could be studied and read.Censorship was brutal.Journalists were forbidden to even remember the word "constitution".
In religion, it was relatively quiet, there is some tolerance.Revived Jesuits, Catholics supervised education, without the consent of the emperor and the church not to leave anyone.Jews were released from the ghetto, and even in Vienna were built synagogue.It then emerged among bankers Solomon Rothschild, made friends with Metternich.And even received baronial title.In those days - an incredible event.
end of a great power
foreign policy of Austria, second half of the century is full of failures.Solid defeat in the war.
- Crimean War (1853-1856).
- Austro-Prussian War (1866).
- Austro-Italian War (1866).
- war with Sardinia and France (1859).
At this time, there was a sharp break in relations with Russia, and then the creation of the North German Confederation.All this led to the fact that the Habsburgs lost their influence on the state not only Germany but all of Europe.And - as a result - the status of a great power.
