How Franz Joseph Gained (and Lost) Dictatorial Power
After the revolutions of 1848, Franz Joseph transformed the Habsburg Empire into a highly centralized, authoritarian state. But the system he built proved difficult to sustain. Let's explores how Franz Joseph gained extraordinary political power—and how war and incapacity to make the right political decisions forced him to give much of it away.
Sources
The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power
Martyn Rady
Habsburg, Die wichtigste Dynastie der Welt
Roman Sandgruber
The Reluctant Empress
Brigitte Hamann
The Habsburg Monarchy 1809-1918: A History of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary
AJP Taylor
Images from Wikicommons
Chapters
0:00 How Franz Joseph Came To Power
2:36 Loose Ends
4:21 The Absolutism Years
7:30 A Threat in the South
8:38 The Second Italian War of Independence
10:58 The Battle of Solferino
13:49 The End of Absolutism
#FranzJoseph #HabsburgEmpire #AustrianEmpire #Austria #Habsburgs #EuropeanHistory #19thCentury