Vol. XXXV · 2004
Mediating Progress in the Provinces
Central Authority, Local Elites, and Agrarian Societies in Bohemia and Moravia

Rita A. Krueger

Get Adobe Acrobat. Download full article (151 KB) [subscribers only]

ONE OF THE ENDURING ISSUES in Central European history has been the question of Habsburg longevity, namely, explaining the Habsburg monarchy's ability to endure though confronted with powerful changes in social relations, economic organization, and national allegiances. Certainly, there have been many arguments about which factors are most salient in assessing the Habsburg monarchy's disintegration; some scholars favor an analysis of "inevitable" long-term decline, while others point to the stresses and strains of unsuccessful war. An emphasis on nationalism is common to most explanations and is legitimately attached to the monarchy's ultimate demise. In addition to being challenged by pressures associated with economic and political modernization, imperial longevity and its breakdown were linked to the degree to which the Habsburgs were successful in extending the control of Vienna (the center) over the provinces, both German and non-German (the periphery).