How Did Austro-Slavism Impact Central Europe

Austro-Slavism, German irredentism and socialism were all ideologies prevalent at different times throughout the 19th century. However, the consequences of each ideology interacted with one another to shape modern central and eastern Europe. By clearly defining each ideology, and describing when and how it impacted central Europe, this paper will prove that modern Europe was greatly shaped by the 1800s. Before we can do this however, logic dictates that we begin with a definition of each ideology.

Austro-Slavism is an idea first put forth by Palacky and his pan-Slavic organization. The ideology is clearly explained in Palacky’s letter to the 1848 Frankfurt Committee, in which he argued that Slavs must unite behind the Austrian monarchy. Palacky …show more content…
In 1848, the Austrian Empire was lit on fire when Hungary declared independence. The Austrian empire lacked the military forces to defeat Hungary and couldn’t even hold on to Vienna after it was kicked out from the city by a second revolution. The empire was able to survive solely because it had the support of its Slavic peoples, and the invading Russians, who agreed to intervene against Hungary. The Slavic peoples’ decision to support the empire was motivated by the fears expressed in Palacky’s letter, which defined the Austro-Slavist ideology. Palacky and his Pan-Slavic organization were influential among the Austrian empire’s Slavic populations. As a result, the arguments he makes in his letter are representative of Slavic motivations. Palacky explained in his letter that without the Austrian empire, the region would fall apart and become easy picking for the ever-expanding Russian empire. In lecture we discussed that the Russian conduct in the Polish partition really alienated the Slavic peoples. Furthermore, by 1848, Russia had already clamped down on minority cultures under Tsar Nicholas II, which undoubtedly made the Slavic peoples weary of Russian rule. Secondly Palacky argued that the Hungarians, despite their central role in the region, did not …show more content…
Firstly, when German irredentism emerged in the 1848 Frankfurt assembly, both the ideology and institution were ignored and eventually dispersed by Bismarck and the German government. This is clear in the second speech Bismarck gave to the Reichstag when he basically labeled the 1848 revolutionaries as something akin to traitors. Secondly, German irredentism began to have an impact on the German people when Bismarck used it as ideological justification for the unification of Germany under Prussian rule in the 1860s and 70s. Furthermore, German irredentism began influencing Central Europe in the 1870s when it became popular in Vienna. Thinkers like von Schoënerer’s and Karl Lueger, emphasized that German identity was exclusionary, and that some nationalities, especially Jews, could not be German. This is exemplified by the Fin de siècle reading, which demonstrated the exclusion Freud experienced, in part because of his Jewish heritage, despite being a cultural German. The rise of Schoenerer’s ideology and Lueger’s Christian Democratic party further divided the empire on ethnic grounds, defeating its efforts to create a diverse regional power. Furthermore, by emphasizing that Austria should join Germany, German irredentism highlighted the Austrian empire’s decline by implying that it was Austria that needed to join Germany, not the other way around. This call for unification tarnished Austria’s

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