Die Geschichte der Habsburgermonarchie von 1848 bis 1918

This course surveys economic, cultural and political developments in the multi-ethnic, liberal, and, in the last stages of its history, increasingly democratic Austro-Hungarian Empire. The course compares modernization in Austria-Hungary with economic and social developments elsewhere in Europe and discusses whether imperial setting and ethnic and religious diversity hindered or promoted urbanization and industrialization in East Central Europe. The course pays special attention to: the rise of the bourgeoisie and the working class and their struggle for equality and political representation; the political mobilization of lower-middle class groups, such as shopkeepers, artisans and peasants, and the formations and early successes of Christian Socialist and anti-Semitic parties. The course will examine high culture (architecture, painting; classical music; literature, etc) and popular culture (newspapers, sports, mass entertainment) both as a product of ethnic diversity and a weapon in the hands of the nationalist elites used to undermine the Empire and as a means to lower tension between ethnic and religious groups. Finally, the course examines the foreign policy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; its role as a bridge between the West and East (Germany and Russia) and between North and South (Europe and the Ottoman Empire); both as a stabilizing factor in international relations and a barrier to self-determination and national independence. Whether the Dual Monarchy was doomed to fail, and it essentially self-destructed, or whether it was destroyed by outside powers, by making one of the worse mistakes in international politics in the twentieth century is the subject of this course.

This is a completely bilingual course. Students are free to ask or respond to questions and write their final exam in the language of their choice: either in German or English. The knowledge of East European languages and the ability to use of primary and secondary sources in these languages are welcome and desired; however, they are not part of the course requirement.