Review by Choice Review
Most of this scholarly monograph is devoted to the steady, seemingly irrevocable march of liberal ideas and politics in the Austrian Empire until about 1880. Even during periods of absolutist repression, liberal ideas were forged in the towns and cities through the activities of various voluntary associations, such as reading clubs and professional organizations. Once absolutism had been discredited, liberal programs began to assume structural form as well, e.g., a new industrial code (1859), the February Patent (1861), and the Dual Compromise (1867). However, Austrian German liberals eventually felt the pressure of mass political movements such as nationalism, socialism, and antisemitism that had little use for their universalist values. Even the liberals themselves were divided between the traditional liberalism of an old guard and younger politicians who sought to mobilize against Slav nationalism. In the end, liberals were overwhelmed, first by the Iron Ring of Slavs (1879-93), Catholics, and conservatives, and later by intensifying divisions between national groups. Yet Judson argues that Austrian German liberals remained true to their values, even as they were overshadowed by nationalistic rhetoric on the floor of the Reichsrat. Upper-division undergraduates and above. C. Ingrao; Purdue University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
