The Austria-Hungarian Empire

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The late 19th century early 20th century spelled trouble for a few of the previously great empires. During this time period, the Austria-Hungarian Empire countered internal divisions by bending to the various nationalist’s demands, the Ottoman Empire pushed forth a great number of Western-based tanzimat reforms, and both empires ultimately sought out alliances.

To begin, the Austria-Hungarian Empire faced the issue of diversity within its empire. The Austrian-Germans, nearly 35 percent of the population, maintained control of the Empire from the imperial capital of Vienna. Supported by the middle class, the imperial capital flourished in the arts and architecture. The official language of the army and the secret police was German resulting …show more content…

The flourishing of neo-absolutism under the reign of Francis Joseph continued repression of the liberal movements, a bonus for the state in light of recent successful uprisings and movements in Prussia and Italy. Codified in the Patent of December of 1851, the government promoted the nobility and the suppression of non-Catholics. Coupling with the support already received from the Austrian and Hungarian nobles, the Joseph government seemed capable of holding together this vastly diverse empire. Yet, self-inflicted foreign policy failures led to the demise of neo-absolutism for the state. Defeats to the Italians and Prussians, increasing tensions with the Russians and France, ultimately led liberals and Hungarians to voice their dissent. This political turmoil was well responded by Francis Joseph who sought to maintain his authority over the Magyars within the Empire. Creating the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867 via the Ausgleich, Joseph gave the Magyars their greatest desire: a Hungarian Parliament, with Hungarian the official language of administration within Hungary. Though Francis Joseph saw his powers within the Hungarian domain decrease, he still maintained control as the Constitutional King of Hungary. The …show more content…

The Ottoman Empire had long seen the size of its empire dwindling. No longer did the Empire have a reasonable and powerful say in international affairs. This decline in prestige ultimately pushed the government to impose reforms that it had avoided for many years. Promulgated under the reign of Abdulmecid I and Abdulaziz, the reforms sought to transform the state into a modern, westernized one that would be somewhat comparable to that of France and Germany. The initial efforts to restructure the army, especially through getting rid of ineffective janissary units, and the implementation of a conscription system mirroring the success of the Prussian army were balanced by a need for social and administrative reforms. This led to the secularization of the education system, close in lines with that of France’s. Administrative reforms led to a more centralized bureaucracy, and the reorganizing of the millets to account for the diverse religious groups. Economically speaking, the tanzimat reforms spearheaded a market boom in the architecture and construction sector. This was apparent in the building of new public service and government institutions that were modeled upon the West. An increasing employment opportunity in this sector contributed to the urbanization and industrialization of towns, cities and ports. The

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