Fundamental Articles of 1871
Encyclopedia
The Fundamental Articles of 1871 were a set of proposed changes to the Austro-Hungarian
constitution regarding the status of the Bohemian Crownlands
. Their rejection was largely responsible for the downfall of the Hohenwart cabinet.
, but left other significant non-German-speaking groups, most notably the Czechs
, under the authority of the Austrian
portion of the Empire. Other nationalities had protested the terms of the constitution, and by early 1870, non-German Liberals
had quit the parliament. In the interest of a reconciliation with the minorities, the Emperor
appointed Alfred Potocki
as his Prime Minister.
Potocki was able to gain support for the constitution from the Poles, Slovenes, and Rumanians, but the Czechs remained obstinate. However, Prussia
n victory over France
in the War
of 1871 and the unification
of the South German states with Prussia caused great Imperial mistrust of Potocki's largely German-Liberal cabinet. Thus, in February 1871, Potocki was replaced by Count Hohenwart, who represented a more anti-Liberal Federalist interest. Hohenwart appointed Albert Schäffle
as his commerce minister. Schäffle's vision, however, extended far beyond his title, and he embarked on a sweeping program to reorganize the Austrian lands and reconcile the Czechs to the constitution. This program culminated in a series of proposed changes to the Austrian constitution that were ratified by the Bohemian Diet
, the "Fundamental Articles".
and Austrian Silesia
would have given up significant authority to the larger Bohemia
. The Bohemian Diet, then, would no longer report to the Austrian Parliament, and would only have been required to send representatives to a congress of all the Austrian crownlands, which had little overarching authority. Ultimately, Bohemia would have gained autonomy and independence very similar to what Hungary had achieved in the Ausgleich.
Simultaneously, staunch Magyar opposition, led by Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy
may have also contributed to the Fundamental Articles' ultimate rejection. Since the Articles meant the reorganization of the Cisleithanian portion of the Empire based on Federalism for the Nationalities, it was feared that they might cause demands for similar concessions to non-Magyar groups under Hungarian authority and undermine the 1867 constitution. However, Schäffle could hardly have been ignorant of this effect, and may have intended to use the Articles to force the Hungarians into accepting a reorganization of the Empire.
Potentially the most damaging element of the backlash, however, was the response of Austria's largely Liberal German population. While the unification of Germany and opposition to Austria's many pro-unification Germans had been a reason to support the Hohenwart-Schäffle program, it quickly became a reason to oppose it. Franz Josef's Foreign Minister Beust
, feared the power of Austria's new German neighbor, having witnessed its crushing defeat of France. Beust cooperated with Andrássy, and advised the Emperor against accepting the Articles. In addition, Bismarck
and Wilhelm I of Germany themselves made clear to Franz Josef their displeasure over the marginalization of Austria's Germans.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
constitution regarding the status of the Bohemian Crownlands
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
. Their rejection was largely responsible for the downfall of the Hohenwart cabinet.
Background
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 had granted extensive political autonomy to the Hungarians in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, but left other significant non-German-speaking groups, most notably the Czechs
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
, under the authority of the Austrian
Cisleithania
Cisleithania was a name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. The name was used by politicians and bureaucrats, but it had no official status...
portion of the Empire. Other nationalities had protested the terms of the constitution, and by early 1870, non-German Liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
had quit the parliament. In the interest of a reconciliation with the minorities, the Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
appointed Alfred Potocki
Alfred Józef Potocki
Count Alfred Józef Potocki was a Polish nobleman , landowner, politician, monarchist, liberal-conservatist....
as his Prime Minister.
Potocki was able to gain support for the constitution from the Poles, Slovenes, and Rumanians, but the Czechs remained obstinate. However, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n victory over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1871 and the unification
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
of the South German states with Prussia caused great Imperial mistrust of Potocki's largely German-Liberal cabinet. Thus, in February 1871, Potocki was replaced by Count Hohenwart, who represented a more anti-Liberal Federalist interest. Hohenwart appointed Albert Schäffle
Albert Schäffle
Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schäffle , German statesman and political economist, was born at Nürtingen in Württemberg, and in 1848 became a student at the University of Tübingen....
as his commerce minister. Schäffle's vision, however, extended far beyond his title, and he embarked on a sweeping program to reorganize the Austrian lands and reconcile the Czechs to the constitution. This program culminated in a series of proposed changes to the Austrian constitution that were ratified by the Bohemian Diet
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, the "Fundamental Articles".
Terms
Though the Articles included at least a superficial recognition of the 1867 constitution, they would have radically altered the basic structure of the Austro-Hungarian political entity, and the position of the Czech lands within it. The Czech crownlands of MoraviaMoravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia , officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Empire, from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
would have given up significant authority to the larger Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. The Bohemian Diet, then, would no longer report to the Austrian Parliament, and would only have been required to send representatives to a congress of all the Austrian crownlands, which had little overarching authority. Ultimately, Bohemia would have gained autonomy and independence very similar to what Hungary had achieved in the Ausgleich.
Reception
Except among the Czech nationalists and their allies among the conservative Bohemian aristocrats, response to the Articles was almost universally and resoundingly negative. The alterations were supposed to be ratified by a combined Diet for all three Czech crownlands, but the Moravian Diet agreed only conditionally, and the Silesian Diet flatly rejected any measures that involved its loss of authority to a general Diet.Simultaneously, staunch Magyar opposition, led by Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy
Gyula Andrássy
Gyula Count Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka was a Hungarian statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary and subsequently as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary...
may have also contributed to the Fundamental Articles' ultimate rejection. Since the Articles meant the reorganization of the Cisleithanian portion of the Empire based on Federalism for the Nationalities, it was feared that they might cause demands for similar concessions to non-Magyar groups under Hungarian authority and undermine the 1867 constitution. However, Schäffle could hardly have been ignorant of this effect, and may have intended to use the Articles to force the Hungarians into accepting a reorganization of the Empire.
Potentially the most damaging element of the backlash, however, was the response of Austria's largely Liberal German population. While the unification of Germany and opposition to Austria's many pro-unification Germans had been a reason to support the Hohenwart-Schäffle program, it quickly became a reason to oppose it. Franz Josef's Foreign Minister Beust
Friedrich Ferdinand Graf Beust
Count Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust was a German and Austrian statesman.- Birth and education :He was born in Dresden, where his father held office in the Saxon court. He was descended from a noble family which had originally sprung from the Mark of Brandenburg, and of which one branch had been...
, feared the power of Austria's new German neighbor, having witnessed its crushing defeat of France. Beust cooperated with Andrássy, and advised the Emperor against accepting the Articles. In addition, Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
and Wilhelm I of Germany themselves made clear to Franz Josef their displeasure over the marginalization of Austria's Germans.