Emil Niederhauser

1848 is the year of revolutions that did not work out well, because the revolutionaries wanted liberty for them but not for others. The moribund Habsburg Empire managed to hold on to its power only to their divided opponents. The Poles wanted to be free from Austrian interference but resented granting the same to the Ukrainians. The Czech and German citizens couldn't agree on anything. The Hungarians dreamed about their own Empire, seeking liberty from Austria but oppressing Croats, Slovaks and Romanians. The Germans in Austria were split between looking towards a Greater Germany in Frankfurt and trying to preserve the Habsburg Empire based on largely non-German lands. The national disunity was mirrored by class divisions. The bourgeoisie (whose individual liberties were mostly granted afterwards) feared the workers and unemployed. Thus, the three generals of the Habsburg Empire, Windischgrätz, Radetzky and Jellacic, managed to restore order and prop up the sick man of Central Europe for another half century.

This highly readable book was translated from Hungarian to German in 1990, just missing the 1989 revolution. The Hungarian 1956 revolution is never mentioned. One can however read between the lines: The 1849 Russian appeal for clemency for the defeated Hungarians fell on deaf Austrian ears. In 1956, it was the Russians themselves who inflicted vengeful victor's justice on the poor Hungarians. One of the major differences why the 1989 revolution worked was the beautiful cooperation between the East European neighbors: The Czech police permitting the GDR-Germans to enter the FDR German embassy grounds. The Hungarians opened their Western borders to the Trabi caravans and the Poles provided moral support.… (more)