Austria

1848-1871

Nationalism and Revolution in 1848• Peoples against empire: The Habsburg lands

– Ethnic and language groups• Germans, Czechs, Magyars, Poles, Slovaks, Serbs, and

Italians– Hungarian nationalist claims advanced by the small

Magyar aristocracy• Louis Kossuth (1802–1894)

– Member of the lower nobility– Published transcripts of parliamentary debates– Campaigned for independence and a separate Hungarian parliament– Wanted to bring politics to the people

– Pan-Slavism• Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes,

Croats, Serbs, Macedonians, and Bulgarians• Desire for a union of Slavic-speaking people• Resented oppressive Russian rule

• Kossuth stepped up his campaigns• Demanded representative institutions• Autonomy for the Hungarian Magyar nation

• Vienna—popular movement of students and artisans

• Demanded political and social reforms• Built barricades and attacked the imperial

palace• Government concessions

– Male suffrage and single house of representatives– Worked toward the abolition of serfdom– Yielded to Czech demands in Bohemia

• Italian liberals and nationalists attacked empire’s territories

• The paradox of nationalism• No cultural or ethnic majority could declare its

independence without prompting rebellion elsewhere

• Insurrection in Prague (May 1848)• Austrian troops sent to restore order• Slav congress disbands

• The March laws: Hungary• Hungarian parliament abolished serfdom and

noble privilege• Established freedom of the press and of religion• Changed suffrage requirements, enfranchised

small-property holders• Provoked opposition from Croats, Serbs, and

Romanians within Hungary

• Austrian government appointed anti-Magyar as governor of Croatia

• Kossuth severed all ties between Hungary and Austria

• Franz Josef asked Nicholas I of Russia for military support

• The Hungarian revolt was crushed (August 1849)

• Liberal government capitulated on October 31, 1849

• Reestablished censorship• Disbanded the national guard and student

organizations• Twenty-five revolutionary leaders went to the

firing squad• Kossuth exiled himself to Turkey

Building the Nation-State

• The Habsburgs did abolish serfdom in 1848, but made few other reforms

• The Hungarians were essentially reconquered in 1849

• Administrative reforms after 1849• New and more uniform legal system• Rationalized taxation• Imposed a single-language policy favoring

German: Germanization

Building the Nation-State

• Ethnic relations• Grew more tense• Anti-Germanization

• Austria weakened after defeat of Austro-Prussian War

• Francis Joseph (1848–1916, emperor of Austria) agreed to work with Hungary

• Agreed to the new federal structure• 1867 Ausgleich

Building the Nation-State

• The Dual Monarchy (Austria-Hungary): Ausgleich

• Common system of taxation, common army, made foreign and military policy together

• Internal and constitutional affairs were separated

• No national unification in Habsburg lands

Austria: Post 1848 Revolutions• Defeated in Austro-Prussian War

• Ausgleich, 1867 (the Compromise)– Transformed Austria into the Austrian-

Hungarian empire, or the Dual Monarchy

– Hungarians demand autonomy:• Hungarian Assembly, cabinet, administrative

system

– Hungarians still connected to Austria• Support and participate in Imperial Army of

Austria• Co-rule with Austria

• Results of Ausgleich– Assimilated Hungarians and eliminated

them as opposition group

– Government more efficient

• Historical traditions and cultural diversification still caused problems in Empire

• Austria gave up trying to integrate its empire culturally in 1871

• Anti-Semitism grew–Karl Luegar – mayor of Vienna –

particularly ‘racist’

–Hitler will later idolize Luegar

–More on Luegar later…