Page 150 - Il Risorgimento e l'Europa - Attori e protagonisti dell’Unità d’Italia nel 150° anniversario - Atti 9-10 novembre 2010

150 Il RIsoRgImento e l’euRopa. attoRI e pRotagonIstI dell’unItà d’ItalIa.

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Parliament it can be spoken of the constitution of Italy as new state.”
The death of Cavour on 6th of June 1861 brought a temporary reinforce-
ment of the French influence on the Italian peninsula.
Austria´s political position between 1861 till 1866 was signified by the
emerging rivalry with the kingdom of Prussia, which was an ally in the cam-
paign against Denmark according to the principles of the „German Union“ to
avoid an annexation of the united duchies Schleswig and Holstein by the
kingdom of Denmark. Two years later, Austria would fight another war
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against Prussia - with severe consequences.
The most dramatic interior problems of the Habsburg Empire Austria were
the quick termination of the neo-absolutistic regime, the necessary creation
of a modern constitution and the reconciliation with Hungary, which remained
hostile to Austria after the defeat of the revolution in 1849 and the execution
of some of its most prominent leaders.
Promising political reforms, the Imperial Court (the “Kaiserhaus”) tried to
th
calm the political unrest with the “Laxenburg edict” on the 15 July 1859.
Nearly a year later, on the 17 June 1860, expanded financial autonomy of
th
the fledgling Austrian Parliament (the “Reichsrat”) was granted, but this was
too less to appease the liberal middle class.
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Also the “October-Diplom” from 20 October 1860 failed to convince the
middle class, because it only granted minimal participation for the middle
class in the regional parliament of the provinces. Only the equality of the
male citizens before the courts, the question of taxes und the military service
was a real substantial progress.
th
Only the “Februar-Patent” on the 26 February 1861, created by Anton
Ritter von Schmerling, the former president of the Supreme Court of Vienna
and now real “Ministerpräsident”(Archduke Rainer, a liberal Habsburg fam-
ily member, had given Schmerling a free hand) was a real constitutional
“breakthrough”.
Because the Hungarian deputies in the Reichsrat were content with the
new common administration of the monarchy and also had been granted with
a regional administration in Hungary, where the Hungarian Reichsrat was
responsible. But in reality the common Reichstag in Vienna was boycotted by
the Hungarian and Croat representatives. The real political solution would

4 Translated from German by the author.
5 Jürgen Angelow, Von Wien nach Königgrätz. Die Sicherheitspolitik des Deutschen Bundes
im europäischen Gleichgewicht 1815-1866. pgg.198-206