Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary
Austro-Hungarian /aw'strohhung gair"ee euhn/, adj., n.
/aw"stree euh hung"geuh ree/, n.
a monarchy (1867-1918) in central Europe that included the empire of Austria, the kingdom of Hungary, and various crown lands.

* * *

or Austro-Hungarian Empire

Former monarchy, central Europe.

Austria-Hungary at one time included Austria and Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Bukovina, Transylvania, Carniola, Küstenland, Dalmatia, Croatia, Fiume, and Galicia. The so-called Dual Monarchy, formed by the Compromise of 1867, created a king of Hungary in addition to the existing Austrian emperor; though these were the same person, Hungary was granted its own parliament and considerable autonomy. Francis Joseph held both titles from Austria-Hungary's inception until his death in 1916. Up to 1914, the monarchy maintained a precarious balance among its many minorities; that year saw the balance toppled with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist that precipitated World War I. With its defeat in that war and revolutions by the Czechs, Yugoslavs, and Hungarians, the monarchy collapsed in 1918.

* * *

▪ historical empire, Europe
also called  Austro-Hungarian Empire , or  Austro-Hungarian Monarchy , byname  Dual Monarchy,  German  Österreich-ungarn, Österreichisch-ungarisches Reich , or  Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie , or  Doppelmonarchie 
 the Habsburg (Habsburg, House of) empire from the constitutional Compromise (Ausgleich) of 1867 between Austria and Hungary until the empire's collapse in 1918.

      A brief treatment of the history of Austria-Hungary follows. For full treatment, see Austria: Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918 (Austria).

      The empire of Austria, as an official designation of the territories ruled by the Habsburg monarchy, dates to 1804, when Francis II, the last of the Holy Roman emperors, proclaimed himself emperor of Austria as Francis I. Two years later the Holy Roman Empire came to an end. After the fall of Napoleon (1814–15), Austria became once more the leader of the German states; but the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 resulted in the expulsion of Austria from the German Confederation and caused Emperor Francis Joseph to reorient his policy toward the east and to consolidate his heterogeneous empire. Even before the war the necessity of coming to terms with the rebellious Hungarians had been recognized. The outcome of negotiations was the Ausgleich concluded on Feb. 8, 1867.

 The agreement was a compromise between the emperor and Hungary, not between Hungary and the rest of the empire. Indeed the peoples of the empire were not consulted, despite Francis Joseph's earlier promise not to make further constitutional changes without the advice of the imperial parliament, the Reichsrat. Hungary received full internal autonomy, together with a responsible ministry, and, in return, agreed that the empire should still be a single great state for purposes of war and foreign affairs. Francis Joseph thus surrendered his domestic prerogatives in Hungary, including his protection of the non-Magyar peoples, in exchange for the maintenance of dynastic prestige abroad. The “common monarchy” consisted of the emperor and his court, the minister for foreign affairs, and the minister of war. There was no common prime minister (other than Francis Joseph himself) and no common cabinet. The common affairs were to be considered at the delegations, composed of representatives from the two parliaments. There was to be a customs union and a sharing of accounts, which was to be revised every 10 years. This decennial revision gave the Hungarians recurring opportunity to levy blackmail on the rest of the empire.

      The Ausgleich came into force when passed as a constitutional law by the Hungarian parliament in March 1867. The Reichsrat was only permitted to confirm the Ausgleich without amending it. In return for this the German liberals, who composed its majority, received certain concessions: the rights of the individual were secured and a genuinely impartial judiciary was created; freedom of belief and of education were guaranteed. The ministers, however, were still responsible to the emperor, not to a majority of the Reichsrat.

      The official name of the state shaped by the Ausgleich was Austria-Hungary. The kingdom of Hungary had a name, a king, and a history of its own. The rest of the empire was a casual agglomeration without even a clear description. Technically it was known as “the kingdoms and lands represented in the Reichsrat” or, more shortly, as “the other Imperial half.” The mistaken practice soon grew of describing this nameless unit as “Austria” or “Austria proper” or “the lesser Austria”—names all strictly incorrect until the title “empire of Austria” was restricted to “the other Imperial half” in 1915. These confusions had a simple cause: the empire of Austria with its various fragments was the dynastic possession of the House of Habsburg, not a state with any common consciousness or purpose.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Austria-Hungary — [ôs′trē əhuŋ′gə rē] former monarchy in central Europe (1867 1918) consisting of territory that became Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, as well as parts of Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Italy Austro Hungarian [ôs΄trō huŋ ger′ē ən] adj., n …   English World dictionary

  • Austria-Hungary — Austro Hungarian Monarchy Other names Österreichisch Ungarische Monarchie (de) Osztrák Magyar Monarchia (hu) Empire …   Wikipedia

  • Austria–Hungary — Infobox Former Country native name = Österreich Ungarn (de) Osztrák–Magyar Monarchia (hu) conventional long name =Austro Hungarian Empire Full names common name = Austria–Hungary continent=Europe continent=Europe region = Central Europe country …   Wikipedia

  • Austria-Hungary —    The state of Austria Hungary was the product of the 1867 Ausgleich between the Hungarian opposition and the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I. According to this agreement, which transformed the constitutional framework of the Habsburg monarchy …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • Austria-Hungary — geographical name dual monarchy 1867 1918 central Europe including Bohemia, Moravia, Bukovina, Transylvania, Galicia, and what is now Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, & NE Italy • Austro Hungarian adjective or noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Austria-Hungary — Aus′tria Hun′gary n. geg a former monarchy (1867–1918) in central Europe that included what is now Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and parts of Romania, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Italy Aus′tro Hungar′ian ˌɔ stroʊ adj. n …   From formal English to slang

  • Austria-Hungary — /ˌɒstriə ˈhʌŋgəri/ (say .ostreeuh hungguhree) noun a former monarchy in central Europe, including the empire of Austria, kingdom of Hungary and various administrative divisions known as crownlands; dissolved 1918. –Austro Hungarian, adjective …  

  • Austria-Hungary — noun a geographical area in central and eastern Europe; broken into separate countries at the end of World War I • Instance Hypernyms: ↑geographical area, ↑geographic area, ↑geographical region, ↑geographic region • Part Holonyms: ↑Europe * * * …   Useful english dictionary

  • Austria-Hungary — noun A former country in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918 …   Wiktionary

  • Austria - Hungary — …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”