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HabsburgempireconstitutionalAustriaHungaryAustria: Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918designationFrancis IIHoly Roman EmpireAustro-Prussian WarGerman ConfederationFranz JosephheterogeneousAusgleichautonomyprerogativesprestigeprime ministercustoms unionconstitutional lawHungarianamendingconsciousness













































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Austria-Hungary



historical empire, Europe



Alternative Titles:
Österreich-Ungarn, Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie, Österreichisch-Ungarisches Reich, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Doppelmonarchie, Dual Monarchy





Austria-Hungary, also called Austro-Hungarian Empire or Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, byname Dual Monarchy, German Österreich-Ungarn, Österreichisch-Ungarisches Reich, Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie, or Doppelmonarchie, the Habsburg empire from the constitutional Compromise (Ausgleich) of 1867 between Austria and Hungary until the empire’s collapse in 1918.






















































Austria


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Austria: Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918

The economic consequences of the defeat in the war of 1866 made it imperative that the constitutional reorganization of the Habsburg monarchy,…




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


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 Franz 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 February 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 Franz 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. Franz 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 Franz 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.


This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn, Managing Editor.


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  • Austria

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    The economic consequences of the defeat in the war of 1866 made it imperative that the constitutional reorganization of the Habsburg monarchy, under discussion since 1859, be brought to an early and successful conclusion. Personnel changes facilitated the solution of…























































  • Hungary

    Hungary: The Dual Monarchy, 1867–1918

    A new Transylvanian Diet had already approved reunion with Hungary. Austria-Hungary was formed in February 1867 through a constitutional agreement known as the Compromise (German: Ausgleich; Hungarian: Kiegyezés). Franz Joseph admitted the validity of the March Laws on the condition that conduct…























































  • Croatia

    Croatia: Croatia in Austria-Hungary

    The Habsburg monarchy was reconstituted in 1867 as Austria-Hungary, with Croatia-Slavonia placed under the rule of Hungary and with Dalmatia, Istria, and the Military Frontier remaining under Vienna. Under an 1868 agreement between Croatia and Hungary, known as the Nagodba…























































  • Encyclopædia Britannica: first edition, map of Europe

    history of Europe: Prewar diplomacy

    In 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was eager to strike a blow against South Slavic nationalism, which threatened the multinational Habsburg empire. This move antagonized Russia and Serbia, the latter claiming these territories as part of its own national domain. In 1912 Russia aided several…























































  • Mahan, Alfred Thayer

    20th-century international relations: The roots of World War I, 1871–1914

    The South Slav campaign against Austrian rule in Bosnia, culminating in the assassination of the Habsburg heir apparent at Sarajevo, was the spark. This local crisis rapidly engulfed all the powers of Europe through the mechanisms of the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente, diplomatic arrangements meant precisely to enhance…




































































ADDITIONAL MEDIA





More About Austria-Hungary


48 references found in Britannica articles

Assorted References



    • major treatment
      • In Austria: Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918


    • assassination of Franz Ferdinand
      • In Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria-Este: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand


    • coins and coinage
      • In coin: Germany and central Europe


    • Eastern Orthodoxy
      • In Eastern Orthodoxy: In Serbia


    • Linz program
      • In Linz program


    • Milan IV
      • In Milan IV (or II)

    foreign policies of



      • Beust
        • In Friedrich Ferdinand, Graf (count) von Beust


      • Garibaldi
        • In Giuseppe Garibaldi: Exile in South America


      • Pašić
        • In Nikola Pašić: Early career


      • William II
        • In William II: Role in World War I
















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      Austria-Hungary

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      External Websites




      • Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine - Austria-Hungary

      • The Catholic Encyclopedia - Austro-Hungarian Monarchy

      • CRW Flags - Flag of Austro-Hungarian Empire



      Britannica Websites

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