Alan Sked is Senior Lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics.

List of Maps Acknowledgement Preface to the Second Edition Introduction I Metternich and his System, 1815-48 Metternich and his critics Metternich and his defenders Metternich and domestic policy Metternich: a verdict 2 1848: the Causes The secret societies A police state? The liberal opposition A revolt of the nobility? Economic growth in Metternich's Austria The economic and social background to 1848 The fall ofMetternich and the outbreak of revolution 3 The Failure of the Revolutions of 1848 The pattern of revolution The Revolution in Hungary The Revolution in Lombardy-Venetia Disobedience and the Camarilla 4 From the Counter-Revolution to the Compromise Schwarzenberg Schwarzenberg and domestic policy Schwarzenberg's German policy 153 The economic consequences of 1848 160 Buol and Habsburg foreign policy 170 Rechberg, Mensdorff and the road to Sadowa 178 5 The Dual Monarchy 191 The Compromise of 1867 191 The economics of Dualism 202 A backward Hungary? 206 The nationality problem in Hungary 212 The nationality problem in Cisleithania 223 6 The Road to Disaster 244 Domestic aspects ofHabsburg foreign policy 244 The occupation ofBosnia-Herzegovina 247 Austria-Hungary as a factor for peace or war in Europe 251 Austria-Hungary and the First World War 263 Conclusions 269 7 Reflections on the Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire 278 Metternich's Austria as a Josephinist state 280 The Catholic Church in Austria during the Metternich era 282 Francis I and the rule of law 288 The Habsburg welfare state 294 The European empires 299 Political repression in the European empires 304 Economic growth and social welfare 310 Intellectual vitality 321 Conclusion 323 Appendix: 1 Chronology of Events 330 2 Habsburg Foreign Ministers, 1809-1918 334 3 Population and Nationalities in the Empire, 1843-1910 334 Maps 337 Index 343