The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, 1815-1918 (2^nd Ed.)

A new and revised edition of Alan Sked?s groundbreaking book which examines how the Habsburg Empire survived the revolutionary turmoil of 1848.

?The Year of Revolutions', saw the whole of Europe convulsed in turmoil and revolt. Yet the Habsburg Empire survived. As state after state succumbed to the violent winds of change that were sweeping the continent. How did the Habsburg Empire survive? How was the army able hold together while the rest of the empire collapsed in civil war, and how was it able to seize the political initiative In this new edition, Alan Sked reflects on the changed understanding of the period which resulted from the first appearance of this book, and widens the discussion to look at the Habsburg Empire alongside the decline of the Russian and German Empires, arguing that it is possible to understand their decline from a broad European perspective, as opposed to the overly narrow focus of recent explanations. Alan Sked makes us look at familiar events with new eyes in this radical, vigorously written classic which is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of nineteenth-century Europe.

List of Maps
Acknowledgement
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
I Metternich and his System, 1815-48
Metternich and his critics
Metternich and his defenders
Metternich and domestic policy
Metternich: a verdict
2 1848: the Causes
The secret societies
A police state?
The liberal opposition
A revolt of the nobility?
Economic growth in Metternich's Austria
The economic and social background to 1848
The fall ofMetternich and the outbreak of revolution
3 The Failure of the Revolutions of 1848
The pattern of revolution
The Revolution in Hungary
The Revolution in Lombardy-Venetia
Disobedience and the Camarilla
4 From the Counter-Revolution to the Compromise
Schwarzenberg
Schwarzenberg and domestic policy
Schwarzenberg's German policy 153
The economic consequences of 1848 160
Buol and Habsburg foreign policy 170
Rechberg, Mensdorff and the road to Sadowa 178
5 The Dual Monarchy 191
The Compromise of 1867 191
The economics of Dualism 202
A backward Hungary? 206
The nationality problem in Hungary 212
The nationality problem in Cisleithania 223
6 The Road to Disaster 244
Domestic aspects ofHabsburg foreign policy 244
The occupation ofBosnia-Herzegovina 247
Austria-Hungary as a factor for peace or war in Europe 251
Austria-Hungary and the First World War 263
Conclusions 269
7 Reflections on the Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire 278
Metternich's Austria as a Josephinist state 280
The Catholic Church in Austria during the Metternich era 282
Francis I and the rule of law 288
The Habsburg welfare state 294
The European empires 299
Political repression in the European empires 304
Economic growth and social welfare 310
Intellectual vitality 321
Conclusion 323
Appendix: 1 Chronology of Events 330
2 Habsburg Foreign Ministers, 1809-1918 334
3 Population and Nationalities in the Empire, 1843-1910 334
Maps 337
Index 343

Alan Sked is Senior Lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics.