1/15/23

This severe, judgemental little book is solely about the politics -- internal and external -- of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary in the years stated. There is nothing in it about wars fought, just passing references to their having occurred. There's virtually nothing in it about cultural life. The biographies of those involved are kept slender. The focus is exclusively on the Emperors' courts at Vienna and the many permutations that the monarchy went through -- who its ministers were and what their mistakes and successes were and who they dealt with abroad -- to manage a vast, polyglot state which eventually collapsed along nationalist and cultural lines. Lacking descriptive color, it can be very dry. On the other hand, I know of no more condensed survey of all the socio-historic trends and economic pressures the state was subject to in that period. Especially recommended for those with an interest in how Austria handled the Revolution of 1848 and it's run-up to the first world war. ( )

I gave this book a neutral 3 stars because I found the book to be unreadable. Perhaps this is shame on me, but Taylor goes into so much detail with regard to the politics of Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire that I totally lost what is going on. If you are well grounded in this area, it may be a good read for you. Did not work at all for me. ( )