The Austrian Empire. Composition of the Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was proclaimed as a monarchical state in 1804 and lasted until 1867, after which it was transformed into Austria-Hungary. Otherwise it was called the Habsburg Empire, after the name of one of the Habsburgs, Franz, who, like Napoleon, also proclaimed himself emperor.

Inheritance

The Austrian Empire in the 19th century, if you look at the map, looks like a patchwork quilt. It is immediately evident that this is a multinational state. And, most likely, it, as it often happens, is devoid of stability. Looking through the pages of history, you can make sure that this happened here. Tiny multicolored specks collected under one border - this is Hapsburg Austria. The map shows especially well how scattered the lands of the empire were. The hereditary allotments of the Habsburgs are small regional regions inhabited by completely different peoples. The composition of the Austrian Empire was roughly the same.

• Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic.
• Transcarpathia (Carpathian Rus).
• Transylvania, Croatia, Vojvodina (Banat).
• Galicia, Bukovina.
• Northern Italy (Lombardy, Venice).

Not only the origin of all peoples was different, but the religion did not coincide. The peoples of the Austrian empire (about thirty-four million) were half Slavs (Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs.) The Magyar (Hungarians) were about five million, about the same number of Italians.

At the junction of history

Feudalism had not yet outlived itself by that time, but Austrian and Czech artisans could very well have called themselves workers, since the industry of these regions had fully developed to the capitalist level.

Habsburgs and the surrounding nobility were the dominant force of the empire, they occupied all the highest positions - both military and bureaucratic. Absolutism, the dominance of arbitrariness - bureaucratic and power in the face of the police, the dictates of the Catholic Church, the richest institution in the empire - all this somehow oppressed the small nations, united together, as water and oil that are not even miscible in the mixer.

The Austrian Empire on the eve of the revolution

The Czech Republic quickly matched, especially the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. The landowners from Hungary choked millions of Slavic peasants, but they themselves also depended heavily on the Austrian authorities. The Austrian Empire pressed hard on its Italian provinces. It is even difficult to distinguish between what kind of oppression this was: the struggle of feudalism with capitalism or purely national differences.

Metternich, the head of government and an ardent reactionary, for thirty years forbade any language other than German in all institutions, including in courts and schools. The population was mostly peasant. Considering free, these people completely depended on the landowners, paid a quitrent, worked off duties that resembled corvee.

Not only the masses were groaning under the yoke of residual feudal orders and absolute power with its arbitrariness. The bourgeoisie, too, was unhappy and obviously pushed the people to revolt. The revolution in the Austrian Empire for the reasons listed above was simply inevitable.

National self-determination

All peoples are freedom-loving and concern with trembling the development and preservation of their national culture. Especially Slavic. Then, under the weight of the Austrian boot, the Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Italians aspired to self-government, the development of literature and the arts, and sought instruction in schools in national languages. Writers and scholars were united by one idea - national self-determination.

The same processes were in the hands of Serbs and Croats. The harder the conditions of life became, the more vividly the dream of freedom flourished, which was reflected in the works of artists, poets and musicians. National cultures rose above reality and inspired compatriots to take decisive steps towards freedom, equality, brotherhood - following the example of the Great French Revolution.

The Uprising in Vienna

In 1847, the Austrian Empire "made a completely revolutionary situation." Sharpness it added a general economic crisis and two years of crop failure, and the impetus was the overthrow of the monarchy in France. Already in March 1848, the revolution in the Austrian Empire matured and flared up.

Workers, students, artisans built barricades on the streets of Vienna and demanded the resignation of the government, without fear of the imperial troops, put forward to suppress the unrest. The government made concessions, sending Metternich and some ministers to resign. Even the constitution was promised.

The public, nevertheless, quickly armed: the workers in any case did not receive anything - not even the voting rights. Students created the academic legion, and the bourgeoisie - the national guard. And they resisted when these illegal armed formations tried to dissolve, than forced the emperor and the government to flee Vienna.

As usual, peasants did not have time to take part in the revolution. In places, they spontaneously rebelled, refusing to pay a quitrent and squashing the landlord groves. Consciousness and organization of the working class was, of course, more. Separation and individualism of work of cohesion are not added.

Incompleteness

Like all the German, Austrian revolution was not completed, although it can already be called a bourgeois-democratic revolution. The working class is not yet mature enough, the bourgeoisie, as always, liberalized and behaved treacherously, plus there were national differences and a military counter-revolution.

It was not possible to win. The monarchy renewed and strengthened the triumphant oppression of impoverished and disenfranchised nations. It is positive that some reforms have taken place, and most importantly, the revolution has finally killed the feudal system. It is also good that the country retained its territories, because after the revolutions even more homogeneous countries disintegrated than Austria. The map of the empire has not changed.

Rulers

In the first half of the nineteenth century, until 1835, all state affairs were ruled by Emperor Franz I. Chancellor Metternich was smart and possessed great weight in politics, but it was often impossible to convince the emperor. After the unpleasant consequences for Austria of the French Revolution, all the horrors of the Napoleonic wars, Metternich was most eager to restore order so that peace reigned in the country.

However, Metternich failed to create a parliament with representatives of all the peoples of the empire, the provincial seims never received any real powers. However, Austria, quite backward in terms of economics, with the feudal reactionary regime, for thirty years of work, Metternich has become the strongest state in Europe. Great is his role in the creation of the counter-revolutionary Holy Alliance in 1915.

In an effort to keep the fragments of the empire from total disintegration, the Austrian troops brutally suppressed uprisings in Naples and in Piedmont in 1821, while retaining the full dominance of the Austrians over the non-Austrians in the country. Very often, popular unrest was suppressed outside of Austria, due to which the army of this country acquired a bad reputation among adherents of national self-determination.

An excellent diplomat, Metternich was engaged in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Emperor Franz mastered the internal affairs of the state. With close attention, he tracked all movements in education: officials strictly checked everything that could be studied and read. The censorship was brutal. Journalists were even forbidden to recall the word "constitution".

In religion it was relatively calm, there was some religious tolerance. Revived the Order of the Jesuits, Catholics supervised education, and without the consent of the emperor from the church did not excommunicate anyone. The Jews were released from the ghetto, and even synagogues were built in Vienna. It was then that Solomon Rothschild appeared among the bankers, making friends with Metternich. And even got a baronial title. In those days - an incredible event.

The End of a Great Power

Austria's foreign policy of the second half of the century is full of failures. Solid defeats in wars.

• The Crimean War (1853-1856).
• The Austro-Prussian War (1866).
• The Austro-Italian War (1866).
• War with Sardinia and France (1859).

At this time, there was a sharp break in relations with Russia, then the creation of the North German Union. All this led to the fact that the Habsburgs lost influence over the states not only of Germany, but of all Europe. And - as a consequence - the status of a great power.