Austrian Democratization
A history of Austrian democratization.
Contents
Revolutions of 1848
The Vienna Uprising in October was put down by Windischgrätz.
Kremsier and Imposed March Constitutions
An elected reichstag (imperial diet) was convened between July 1848 and March 1849 to draft a new constitution. Originally located in Vienna, the diet was moved to Kremsier following the imposition of matrial law there. For this reason, it also came to be known as the Kremsier Parliament and their draft of the constitution as the Kremsier Constitution.
Franz Joseph I preempted the diet with the Imposed March Constitution, which established the absolute powers of the Austrian emperor. He established a reichsrat (imperial council) to which he appointed all members.
February Patent
A conciliatory October Diploma was promulgated by Franz Joseph I in 1860. This reformed the reichsrat into a partially-elected legislature, and effectively established a federal system for the empire. Provincial diets were granted more autonomy. This failed to affect any support for the empire.
The February Patent in 1861 superceded this. The reichsrat was again reformed, now into a bicameral elected legislature. The Herrenhaus (House of Lords) was composed of imperial archdukes, certain nobility, archbishops, and life peers. The Abgeordnetenhaus (House of Deputies) was composed of 343 politicians elected by provincial diets in the crownlands. In particular, 120 deputies were allocated to Hungary.