The unifying Habsburg Monarchy? Franz Joseph and the Bohemian Crownlands, 1867-1916

Jaimes, Marco

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/110673 Copy

Description

Title

The unifying Habsburg Monarchy? Franz Joseph and the Bohemian Crownlands, 1867-1916

Author(s)

Jaimes, Marco

Issue Date

2021-04-18

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Todorova, Maria

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Todorova, Maria

Committee Member(s)

• Cooper, David
• Steinberg, Mark
• Liebersohn, Harry

Department of Study

History

Discipline

History

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Habsburg Monarchy
• Habsburg Empire
• Austria
• Bohemia
• Franz Joseph
• Czech
• German

Abstract

Franz Joseph’s reign, one of the longest in European history, spanned from the Revolutions of 1848 to the midst of the First World War. Throughout this time, many among his subjects altered their perception of Franz Joseph from a reactionary absolutist to a benevolent patriarch. This dissertation explores the process by which Franz Joseph developed into a figure of respect and empathy, specifically in the context of the Bohemian Crownlands, which was the most industrialized region of the empire as well as one rife with political turmoil due to the conflict between Czech and German nationalists. It was through a shared loyalty to the emperor, who was seen by his subjects as representing a heterogeneous culture with values that transcended the more parochial identities of neighboring polities, that a sense of community developed. This dissertation examines the dialogical space of creating a community through the example of the late Habsburg Empire by focusing on the symbolic role of the sovereign. The early chapters center on representation, specifically the imperial myth. They analyze the development of the Franz Joseph cult following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Ausgleich of 1867, by highlighting strategies such as the efforts to positively portray the emperor as a protector of cultural developments as well as monitor insults against the emperor that challenged a monolithic view but never changed it. These developments are illustrated by specific case studies, such as in the 1898 Golden Jubilee, Imperial travels across the region, and the First World War. This shared fidelity to Franz Joseph contributed to the longevity of the empire. The peoples of the Bohemian Crownlands recognized Franz Joseph as a traditional figure, yet one tied to modernity. While the empire was mortally wounded by the emperor’s death in 1916, amidst the turmoil of the First World War, the unifying myth of the emperor nevertheless proved to be foundational to some of the successor states like Czechoslovakia, which established a similar cult of personality surrounding the first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. By analyzing a figure as complex as Franz Joseph and a regime as complicated as the Habsburg Empire, this project moves to further breakdown binaries between nation and empire or modernity and tradition, by showing the permeability of these notions.

Graduation Semester

2021-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110673

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2021 Marco Jaimes

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