The+Austrian+Empire+in+1848



**Rebellion in the Austrian Empire** In the wake of the revolution in France, the Austrian Empire witnessed a new excitement over liberal ideals and nationalism. Naturally, an Empire of this size had people of many different nationalities such as Czech, Hungarian, German, and Italian, and these ideas began to cause many problems for the government. The various ethnic groups within the Austrian Empire demanded more autonomy and the creation of constitutions that would allow them equal rights and suffrage. Soon students, laborers, and peasants began to riot throughout the Empire. In Hungary a group of radicals and students stormed the Buda fortress to release political prisoners; this, paired with the demands of the Hungarian diet caused Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I to promise reforms and a liberal constitution. A few days later, on March 20, the monarchy abolished serfdom, causing the poor to begin to demand universal male voting rights on top of the existent demands of the middle class. Finally, in May 1848, Ferdinand I abdicated and his throne went to his nephew, Francis Joseph, who with the help of Russian troops violently subdued the rebellion in Hungary and reestablished the authority of the Emperor throughout the Empire.



**Revolt Against the Revolution** When the Central Committee of Citizens formed in Vienna not too long ago, it marked the beginning of the end. The people had a voice – unprecedented, and unnecessary, but the poor and ignorant remained indignant and demanded to be heard. A National Guard was formed – the nerve of the middle class! – and pretty soon liberals were demanding reform at the very gates of the government. Metternich, our champion of conservatism, our white knight, couldn’t take the pressure and fled to England, abandoning us in our time of need. With him gone, Ferdinand I – the emperor of the Austrian Empire – was forced to concede, and a liberal government was established.

Pandemonium ensued. With the liberals in power, we quickly lost Bohemia to the Czechs, and our southern territories to the Italians. The hardest blow to our pride would become the March Laws, passed by the Hungarian parliament and accepted by the Emperor to unite Austria and Hungary through a personal union. What shortly followed were the abolishment of serfdom, the end of noble privileges (Metternich would have been disgusted), and the freedom of press and religion. As the peasants found victory in their revolution, soon other groups were revolting against the newly established government, each wanting their own definition of freedom in a country rapidly spiraling out of control.

But then the tide turned. Predictably, the economy began to spiral out of control, with a sharp rise in unemployment leading to another uprising in Vienna that October. With the aid of Russian troops, newly appointed Emperor Francis Joseph I was able to effectively crush the revolt and, on October 31st, destroy the liberal government, reestablishing order within the Empire. With press censorship back in effect and the National Guard out of the way, it seemed as if thing were finally getting back to normal.

But it was not so. If the revolution of 1848 had done anything, it was to forever change Austria from before, in spite of our best efforts to return to normalcy. Serfdom was gone, and the peasants had tasted whatever it was they so longed for, paving the way for future conflicts.

Due to fears and concerns of the Austrian people the conservatives advantageously seized the opportunity to restore the monarchy. Originally the conservative autocrats and their forces originally rallied around Ferdinand I thinking it logical to restore the original monarch. However, Archduchess Sophia pointed out that he had no heir to his throne and argued that her son should be the king on the throne after they restored the monarchy. This fact combined with the memory of concessions Ferdinand I made at the beginning of the revolution caused many conservatives to agree with her. With the Archduchess’s plan the conservatives who had once held power had successfully schemed to retake their country and the power they had once held. Their army successfully suppressed rebellion in Prague on June 17th and by October their larger peasant army defeated forces composed of students and radicals. With the retaking for Vienna the monarchy was restored! In December Francis Joseph became the newest Austrian Monarch! This journalist predicts that by June of 1849 a powerful monarchy, possibly Russia, will help Austria regain control of Hungry. It is very possible that under Francis Joseph universities and secondary schools will be improved, there will be steady economic growth, trades and crafts will receive codes, and unified codes will be put in place for the territories. It is foreseeable that Francis Joseph will enforce conservative views and free press and public trials will be abandoned, and corporal punishment will be enforced. The church may play a large role taking charge of marriage questions, partial control of censorship rights and possible partial control over education.
 * A Triumphant Return**



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