![]() ![]() The truth was that Franz Josef, just like all other Habsburg rulers, had only one goal in mind: to keep the multinational, multicultural empire together, without any regard to special national interests. On the other hand, Hungarian nationalists accused him of pro-German bias. Interestingly, in Austria there is a great deal less interest in Franz Josef, mainly because Austrians at the time as well as later accused Franz Josef of partiality to the Hungarians, the Slavs, and the Jews at the expense of the Germans of the realm. The centenary of Franz Josef’s death has inspired several articles in the Hungarian media that try to give a more balanced picture of Hungary’s Habsburg past. Economically, however, it lagged behind Great Britain and Germany. After all, it had a population of 51 million, larger than France’s 35 million and Great Britain’s 46 million. We often forget that the Monarchy was considered to be one of the great powers of the time. As a large country lying between Germany and Russia, it was seen as a stabilizing force. His death was interpreted by his subjects as an ominous sign of the end of an era of relative prosperity for the 12 nationalities that lived within the borders of Austria-Hungary.Īustria-Hungary was an important player on the international scene. ![]() When he died, Austria-Hungary, his creation, was slowly edging toward military collapse and revolution. His death couldn’t have been unexpected since he was 86 years old and had been on the throne for 68 years. It was one hundred years ago, on November 21, 1916, that Franz Josef I, Austrian emperor and Hungarian king, died. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |