Bohemia under Hapsburg Misrule: A Study of the Ideals and Aspirations of the Bohemian and Slovak Peoples, as They Relate to and Are Affected by the Great European War
History
Bohemia under Hapsburg Misrule: A Study of the Ideals and Aspirations of the Bohemian and Slovak Peoples, as They Relate to and Are Affected by the Great European War
That Hungary should be given back her autonomy was conceded beforehand.
Weakened by war, its military prestige shattered, its finances at a
low ebb, the government was in no condition to resist the Magyars, who
had assumed a threatening attitude. But what about the Bohemians, who
also clamored for recognition? Bohemia, Hungary, and Austria, it will
be remembered, had formed a union in 1526-1527 on terms of equality.
And then how should the larger Slavic questions be settled? Numerically
the Slavs were the strongest element in the monarchy. If allowed to
elect representatives to one central parliament, these discontented
Bohemians, Poles, Slovaks, and Croatians might one day, uniting
politically, control the country. Tacitly Vienna and Budapest agreed
that, whatever the terms of the settlement with Hungary, the disaster
of Slavic majority must be averted.
“The Slavs must be pressed to the wall” (Man wird die Slaven an die
Wand drücken), declared a statesman who participated actively in the
plan of reconstruction. “You,” addressing the Magyars, “will take care
of your hosts [meaning the Slavs] and we shall take care of ours.”
In the parliament the cause of the Slavic federalists was lost
beforehand; a German-made constitution and German-made electoral law
rendered futile every opposition. Besides, the government would brook
no interference with its plan of reconstruction as outlined by Count
Beust.[12] This plan contemplated a dual government, one in Vienna,
the other in Budapest, and three parliaments, one to sit in Vienna
for the Austrian half, one to meet in Budapest for the Hungarian
half, and a third one to be called the “Delegations” and to convene
alternately at both capitals to deliberate on matters common to the
empire as a whole, such as foreign relations, the army, navy, finances,
and so forth. In other words, Beust’s plan provided for two seats of
centralization instead of one. From a German state that it had been
before 1867 Austria became a German-Magyar state--an organization
without precedent or analogy.
The several kingdoms, crown-lands, etc., were divided under Beust’s
plan; and, upon the consummation of the deal, were allotted to the
contracting parties to the dualism as follows: Austria received
Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Bukovina, Dalmatia, Galicia, Carinthia,
Carniola, Trieste and vicinity, Goritz and Gradiska, Istria, Lower
Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Voralberg. Hungary
secured as her part of the bargain Hungary Proper, Transylvania, Fiume,
Croatia, Slavonia, and the Military Frontier.
Figures, better than anything else, will explain why the Slavs were
opposed to dualism and presently became its irreconcilable enemies.
Under the Austrian roof Beust put these Slavic groups (quoting from the
census of 1910):
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account