Chapter Three
Austrian
Empire
During the 17th –
18th centuries, critical developments were also occurring in the Austrian
state. As touched upon in previous Units, the Austrian state led by the
long-established Habsburg dynasty, was an early emerging, massive territorial
power. However, dreams of creating a unified, powerful Central European
German state were effectively destroyed by the Thirty Years War and the territorial
settlements of the Peace of
DEFEATED AMBITIONS
From the 15th
to the middle 17th century, the primary political goals of the
Habsburg leaders were two-fold: to continue acquiring new territories
throughout all of Europe, and to consolidate direct control over
the Central European region known as the Holy Roman Empire. Charles V’s
reign was the closest Austrian leaders came to realizing both of these
goals. However, the divisive effects of the Protestant Reformation decisively
ended
In fact, at the end of
his reign, as discussed, Charles V actually ended the unified control of
Habsburg territories by splitting these territories into the Spanish and
Austrian Habsburg dynasties and empires. Spain, under Philip II and successors,
thus continued on a separate political path. Austrian Habsburgs continued,
unsuccessfully, to try to consolidate control of the German states to secure a
dominant state and empire in
We pick up the story of
the Austrian monarchy now, after 1648. In the years that followed, there were
two important developments within the Austrian Empire. Internally,
Austrian monarchs were successful in consolidating control over the territories
they ruled, creating the framework of a powerful absolutist monarchy. The
securement of this kind of political control model resulted in the same kind of
temporary success, and long-term problems, seen with French absolutism.
The second and critical
development in Austrian power in the 17th and 18th centuries
was the fact that the Empire’s expansionary efforts shifted from Central
to
ABSOLUTISM
Between 1648 and 1740,
Habsburg monarchs built up the framework of a fully realized, oppressive absolutist
state. Austrian Habsburg monarchs such as Ferdinand III (1637-1657), Leopold I
(1658-1705) and Joseph I (1705-1711), and later the Empress Maria Theresa
(1717-1780) and Joseph II (1741 - 1790) represented this monarchy at its peak
power.
However, recognize,
The Austrian aristocracy
therefore became a staggeringly privileged, entitled, oppressive class.
Austrian monarchs gave the nobility the right to increase and enforce an
appalling degree of oppressive oversight on grossly subjugated peasants on
their lands; state laws and if necessary state military forces reinforced that
oppression. Peasants in
Other elements of
absolutist rule were secured in the 17th and 18th centuries. Austrian
Habsburgs continued the ugly pattern of religious intolerance. Catholicism was
a mandated, state religion. The alliance between the Catholic Church and the
monarchy was unquestioned and a permanent feature of Austrian rule throughout the
territories of the Empire. Religious intolerance of Protestants, Orthodox
Christians and Jews became a standard, institutionalized part of the political
system.
The Austrian monarchy built
up a powerful standing army made up of soldiers from subject peoples from throughout
its imperial territories. This army was expensive, necessitating the creation
of an effective taxation system. However, the same inherent flaw was seen in
this absolutist state; the poor (desperately poor) and small middle class were excessively
taxed to support the ravenous appetite of the state elite and military
pursuits.
The Austrian monarchs’
success in solidifying their central power, however, had significant negative
consequences, apart from the unimaginable suffering of the majority of
subjects. These policies further reinforced already visible economic
stagnation of
EASTERN FOCUS
Austrian monarchs continued
to retain a limited voice in Central European affairs due to the traditional
role of Habsburgs as the selected Holy Roman Emperor. There was only one
brief period when it was not a Habsburg in this position. However, while
symbolically important to Habsburg status, the role of Holy Roman Emperor did not
translate into real power. Any dream of actually asserting real power over
the hundreds of German states in the
Instead, beginning in the
mid-17th century, Austrian leaders focused on increasing direct
control of Eastern and Southern territories, for example securing control of
One critical result of
this shift is that the character of the Austrian empire shifted substantively.
Although still ruled by a German dynasty,
This Eastern focus
brought
However, a real problem became
apparent with this expansion. Habsburg hunger for more and more territory
prevented
It was said of the
Austrian empire that it was a "melting pot in which nothing was
melted". There was no melding of the populace, no creating a common,
shared state identity. Rather, distinct regional, ethnic, and religious
identities remained intact;
In fact, as Austrian
monarchs created a system of rule to hold together these diverse regions, one
imperial policy was implemented that proved disastrous in the long run.
Monarchs actually "played off" rival groups against each other. Groups
such as Czechs and Slavs, or Croats and Serbians, were made to compete against
each other for state privileges, or drafted troops from one region (and/or one
religious group) were sent in to suppress rebellion in regions where ethic foes
lived. This policy, sustained for centuries, cemented already existing
differences and tensions between groups, contributing to the build-up of
historically based hatreds which continue to feed tensions or even violence in
many of these regions today.
In the long term, by the
19th century, Austrian leaders could not maintain this empire. The French
Revolution gave rise to the modern ideals of nationalism, and then these
sustained differences between subjects of Austria, these different ethnicities,
religious interests, and language groups, entered into decades long struggle
for political autonomy and separate states. WWI finished off what was left of
this empire; as a losing power it was carved into several different states. Border
issues reflected unresolved territorial and ethnic disputes, of course, continue
to the present day. This is often most appallingly visible in the Balkans; such
deep seeded hostilities also led to the recent split of Czechoslovakia into the
Czech Republic and Slovakia, and ongoing tensions between Hungary and Romania.
Nationalism ultimately tore this once influential empire apart; the coalescing
of such a diverse array of communities could only be sustained by absolute
repression. The violence and turmoil caused by the dismantling of this empire
is still being played out in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Habsburg Austria did survive
the Thirty Years War, and shifted its focus East. As a massive land power,
A key factor in the
limited and then declining role of
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