Hello Hivers and Book Clubbers,
Welcome to part two of my review of the book titled 'The Habsbug Monarchy: 1809-1918' by A.J.P. Taylor. No frills or bells, let's get right into it. Part 1 can be found here for an introduction and an explanation of some of the central problems facing the dynasty.
Metternich and the search for Austria's Role
One of the most important men of the 19th century was Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859), though he is not that well-known anymore, not compared to his contemporaries like Napoleon.
Which is remarkable, because Metternich, as prime minister of Austria, was on the winning side, and was able to re-draw the map of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon/France. This was done during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and Metternich was able to mould Austria into a defender of the old order, and a bulwark against liberalism, which Napoleon had spread with the sword.
So Metternich gave Austria a mission, something he himself saw as essential for it to exist within a rapidly modernising Europe. But was his re-drawing of the map helpful in this endeavour? With hindsight, the answer would be 'no'. The most obvious reason: during the Congress, everyone there assumed that France would be the biggest problem to contain going forward in the 19th century. This was a quite grave miscalculation: after Napoleon, France would never again be able to make a grab for hegemony over (a large part of) Europe. The main problem for Austria would come from a closer relative: Prussia, which would slowly but surely be able to unify Germany, and become the most important German state, leaving the Austrian Empire behind.
A German dynasty?
But did this matter? It is an issue that the Habsburgs, to their discredit, never solved: Were they a German dynasty? There were millions of Germans within their border, sure, and these were the dominant people within their domain (though they did not make up a quarter of the total population). The Habsburgs used to be Holy Roman Emperors as well, of course, and the language of state was German.
But they had ruled Spain and the Netherlands as well. And they still ruled over 10 other peoples (see part 1) that were clearly not German. The Habsburgs had always defined themselves as cosmopolitans; not bound to a specific country and/or people. Vienna was a cosmopolitan city, not some German provincial town like Innsbruck or Salzburg. This cosmopolitanism, however, became a weakness in the era of nationalism and the call for German unification.
Hungary, black sheep of the Empire
One nation-state had continued its existence within the Habsburg Empire, and that was Hungary. The Magyar (i.e. Hungarians) were the second-most numerous and influential people within the realm, and they often asserted this position to gain more rights, with varying success. A full-scale revolt under Kossuth in 1848 ended in disaster, and Hungary was ruled from Vienna for almost two decades.
Yet in 1867, with the geopolitical situation severely worsening through a lost war against Prussia, the Habsburgs sought to make a compromise with the Hungarians, as their lands now became known as Austria-Hungary. The Hungarians had played a double-game beforehand, and had negotiated with Bismarck (Prussian chancellor) for an alliance against Vienna. Now, with their privileges and autonomy restored, they vowed to help Vienna and the Habsburgs again, and Franz Joseph was King of Hungary again.
Franz Joseph, a man out of time
One emperor I'd like to mention in this review, which is Franz Joseph I (1830-1916). It is a logical choice, for he was the Habsburg ruler that sat on the throne for the majority of the period described in the book: he became emperor at age 18 in 1848, and died halfway through WW1 in 1916, for a total of 68 years.
As the decades went on, his rule became a complete anachronism; autocratic, yet not really interested in domestic affairs, he often came to an understanding with his prime ministers (or similar positions with different names); he wanted control of the army and foreign affairs, and let the administration/bureaucracy do its work domestically.
His alliance with Germany was the backbone of the Central Powers that would end up in World War I. Here, the absolute weakness of the Dual Monarchy became apparent; beaten by the Russians, they had to be 'saved' by the Germans, who in turn were ground down in one of the most hard-fought and destructive wars ever seen. He himself would not live to see his House collapse; he died in 1916, whereas Habsburg rule ended in 1918.
Conclusion
The lands that the Habsburgs used to hold, were now to search for their own identities, some with ease, some with trouble. Czechoslovakia was a short-lived affair: Mazaryk (interesting man) convinced the Americans of its viability, yet it immediately became clear that the Czechs, Sudeten-Germans and Slovaks were at odds with each other. The state was dissolved in 1938 by Germany, and later resurrected artificially by the Soviets, to be dissolved again in the Velvet Divorce of 1990.
Hungary got drawn and quartered by the Treaty of Trianon, which took half its land and population away and gave it to neighbouring countries (Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia among them). A kingdom without a King, it was ruled by Miklos Horthy, an admiral without a fleet or a sea in sight.
Austria, now a German nation-state, found itself in the strangest position. Vienna went from a cosmopolitan capital of the oldest dynasty on the continent to a provincial town of a small republic. The Austrian Germans, in turn, looked to their countrymen in the north; they re-unified with Germany in the Anschluss of 1938, mostly voluntarily, but Hitler had sent the tanks in to just be sure.
A.J.P. Taylor has written a very dense, compact volume which overflows with valuable information. Even though he is not a nationalist himself, he does seem to have a good grasp of its power. He also is able to understand the importance of demography; how 12 peoples within one realm can lead to a myriad of friction. As I said before, I've read this book three times already, and I can recommend it. It is still in print on sites like Amazon (for about 11 dollars/Euro), so it should be available in many countries. I'll see you all in a next review,
-Pieter Nijmeijer
(Top image: self-made photo of cover)