AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 9 6 3 



a thousand persons was held, demanding the separation of the State from the Church, 

 and freedom of the schools from clerical influence. 



The racial conflict in Bohemia found its counterpart in Galicia and Moravia, where 

 hatred of the German element increased in strength, more especially after the 5ooth 

 celebration (July isth) of the Battle of Tannenberg, 1 which recalled ancient hatred and 

 showed itself in persecution. In one community, Themenau, in Lower Austria, the 

 elected corporation was removed (July 28th) because of its anti-German excesses, and 

 was replaced by a Government commissary. 



The promulgation of a constitution for Bosnia- Herzegovina was in striking contrast 



to this last fact. The two provinces had been annexed in 1908, and the constitution 



was proclaimed on February 22, 1910. The Diet, chosen by universal 



Constitution su ff ra g e is competent to deal with provincial finances, taxes, railways, police 



of Bosnia- ,.. f . . ' '. HW 



Herzegovina, public works, civil and criminal law, always subject to Austrian or Hungari- 

 an veto. There are three divisions of the electorate, and in all three the 

 number of representatives in the Diet is fixed according to the number of inhabitants 

 professing each religion, the Jews have one seat, the Roman Catholics sixteen, the 

 Mussulmans twenty-four, and the Orthodox thirty-one. The Government appoints 

 also twenty members, including the spiritual heads of the four religious communities. 

 The President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly are appointed by the Emperor every 

 session, each religion being represented, and holding the presidency in turn. On June 

 14-th the new Diet was opened by the Emperor in person, the occasion being marked by 

 an attempt on the life of the Governor, General Vareschanin; and one of the first acts 

 of the Diet was to pass a unanimous resolution declaring the constitution too narrow and 

 not in accordance with the wishes of the people. 



But the Austrian Cabinet crisis of December 1910 required immediate attention, 

 and little regard was likely to be had to the demands of the new Diet, though it did 

 receive a good deal of sympathy. On January 9, 1911, the Cabinet was 

 reconstructed. Baron Bienerth remained, and portfolios were given to 

 in Austria. members of the German, Czech and Polish parties. But the Slav element 

 was strong in the Cabinet; the Germans, therefore, disliked it, and already 

 on its first appearance opposition was threatened. Its immediate work was to renew 

 the charter of the Austro-Hungarian Bank. This passed smoothly enough, but further 

 effective work was impossible owing to the opposition of the Czechs and the Social 

 Democrats. The Ministry accordingly appealed to the country, and in 

 E/ectfon oT^ J une tne General Election brought about a somewhat different rearrange- 

 June 19H. ment of parties in the House. The German Nationalists obtained 100 

 ; seats; the Christian Socialists (Germans) 73; the Social Democrats (Ger- 

 man Club) 49; the United Bohemian Club 84; the Social Democrats (Bohemian Club) 

 25; the Poles 70; the Social Democrats (Polish Club) 9; the Ukraine Union 28; the 

 Croatio-Slavonian Coalition 27; the Dalmatian Club 7; the Unio latino, 21; and Inde- 

 pendents 23. The result was that the Social Democrats became the most influential 

 party. Moreover, Baron Bienerth, having been defeated at the polls, was succeeded 

 .. by Baron Gautsch 2 as Premier. He did not hold office long; the task of 



Premier. attempting to unite Germans and Czechs was utterly hopeless, and on 

 October 31, 1911, Baron Gautsch was succeeded by Dr. Sttirgkh. 3 The 

 change of personnel did not denote any change in policy. Parliamentary business 

 showed the same characteristics this year as it did in previous years obstruction and no 

 progress, and when the end of the year approached no budget had been passed. 



It was not very different in 1912, when the great bone of contention was the Army 



1 Battle of Tannenberg on July 15-, 1510, where a Polish-Lithuanian army defeated 80,- 

 ooo German Knights under the leadership of Ulrich von Jungingen. 



2 Paul Gautsch von Frankenthurn, born February 2.6, 1851; in the Ministry of Education 

 1885-1893 and 1895-97; made a peer 1890; Premier and Minister of the Interior 1897-98; 

 Premier 1904-06. 



4 Karl ; Stiirgkh, bbrii : October 30, 1859; entered Ministry of Education 1880; Minister 

 of Education 1909. 



