Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer Corps, 1848-1918

by István Deák

In the last seventy years of its long and distinguished existence, the Habsburg monarchy was plagued by the forces of rising nationalism. Still, it preserved domestic peace and provided the conditions for social, economic, and cultural progress in a vast area inhabited by eleven major
nationalities and almost as many confessional groups. This study investigates the social origin, education, training, code of honor, lifestyle, and political role of the Habsburg officers. Simultaneously conservative and liberal, the officer corps, originally composed mainly of noblemen, willingly
coopted thousands of commoners--among them an extraordinary number of Jews. Even during World War I, the army and its officers endured, surviving the dissolution of the state in October 1918, if only by a few days. The end of the multinational Habsburg army also marked the end of confessional and
ethnic tolerance in Central and East Central Europe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 1989

About the author

István Deák was a Hungarian-born American historian, author and academic. He was a specialist in modern Europe, with special attention to Germany and Hungary.

Reviews

[Brendan Hodge]

Deak, whose father was a Hungarian officer in World War One, writes a highly readable book on the social history and operation of the Austo-Hungarian officer corps.

Why would you want to read a book on such an abstruse topic? The Hapsburg officer corps is a fascinating topic because it was a truly multi-national organization that functioned, and indeed was one of the few institutions in the paralyzingly diverse empire that did. Officers were required to learn the national languages of their troops, which were often from a wholly other part of the empire. To a great extent it was the officer corps and the army they controlled which held the empire together, and when the empire fell apart after WW1 they were the ones who found themselves truly stateless.

[Katie Hanna]

I learned more about nationalism--and alternatives to nationalism--from this book than from any other book I've ever read, I do believe. Amazing stuff.