AUSTKIA 147 quered, the Austrian government commenced the arduous task of reorganizing the monarchy upon a firmer basis than before. The parlia- ment, which after the bloody struggle at Vienna had been adjourned to Kremsir in Moravia, was dissolved March 4, 1849, and a constitu- tion promulgated by the free will of thg em- peror, of which only the reactionary parts went into operation. The efforts of the nation- al parliament at Frankfort to reconstruct the German empire, excluding Austria from it, were violently opposed by the Austrian gov- ernment, and Frederick William IV. of Prussia durst not defy this opposition, backed as it was by that of Russia and France, by accepting the imperial crown offered by the Frankfort assembly. Still, by assuming the leadership of the counter-revolutionary movements in Ger- many, and aiding the petty princes to put down the people, Prussia obtained a prepon- derating influence in northern Germany, and made some efforts to centralize the confedera- cy, all of which were prostrated by the ener- getic policy of Prince Schwarzenberg. In 1850 the diplomatic conflict between Austria and Prussia seemed to point to a crisis ; armies were put in motion, and a fight among some outposts had already taken place near Bronzell in Hesse-Oassel (Nov. 8, 1850), when at the last moment Prussia, in a ministerial meeting at 01- mutz (Nov. 29), submitted to the demands of Austria, and the German diet at Frankfort was reestablished the same as it was before 1848; Austria, on her part, renouncing for the time being the idea of entering into the Germanic confederation with all her possessions. The energy displayed in the management of for- eign relations was manifested by the Austrian minister of the interior, Bach, in the admin- istration of the internal affairs of the empire. All remnants of the revolutionary period were annihilated, with one exception only, the abolition of socage. The constitution of 1849 was annulled Jan. 1, 1852 ; trial by jury was abolished; the public press crushed down with the utmost severity; and the influence of the clergy reestablished. Extraordinary efforts were made to develop the resources of the monarchy by encouraging agriculture, industry, and commerce. A new tariff was adopted, and negotiations were commenced with other Ger- man states for the establishment of a complete customs union with the Zollverein. Prussia, fearing lest her influence might be outweighed by that of Austria, opposed this movement; but several of the Zollverein states took sides against her, and the moment seemed to be near at hand when her objections would have been overborne, when Schwarzenberg's sudden death (April 5, 1852) brought on a change in the policy of Austria. His successor, Count Buol-Schauenstein, declined to press the prop- ositions made by Schwarzenberg, and con- tented himself with the conclusion of a com- mercial treaty between Austria and the Zoll- verein (1853). The reconciliation with Prussia was completed at a personal interview of the emperor and Frederick William IV. On Feb. 6, 1853, another popular outbreak occurred at Milan, but was suppressed without difficulty. A diplomatic rupture with Switzerland, where the Italian revolutionists had taken refuge, was the consequence. On Feb. 18 an attempt was made against the emperor's life by a young Hungarian, Lib6nyi. These events were im- portant only so far as they tended to perpet- uate the severe military rule. When, toward the end of 1852, the Montenegrins rose against the Turks, Austria sided with them, and Count Leiningen, who was sent to Constantinople (February, 1853), obtained full redress of their grievances. At the time of the complications which led to the Crimean war, Austria pro- claimed her neutrality, and on April 20, 1854, a treaty was concluded by Austria and Prussia, both pledging themselves to take an active part in the war only whenever the interests of Germany should appear to be endangered. The czar, indignant at what seemed to him base ingratitude on the part of Austria, en- deavored by flattery to incite the smaller Ger- man states against her, and went even so far as to threaten an appeal to the Slavic races. Thus Austria was forced to change her neutral- ity pure and simple into an armed one. She agreed with Turkey to occupy the Danubian principalities, advanced an army of 300,000 men toward the Polish frontier, and proposed to Russia the four points which afterward became the basis of peace. This proposition having been rejected, Austria assumed an attitude so threatening that the Russians were obliged to retire from Turkish territory. An Austrian army under Gen. Coronini entered Wallachia, and the war on the Danube was virtually at an end. By promising to the western powers an active support whenever they would pledge themselves to carry on the war in such a man- ner as effectually to cripple the Russian power, Austria induced them to determine upon the Crimean expedition. Now, at last, the active cooperation of Austria seemed to be certain ; indeed, a treaty to that effect was agreed to by her Dec. 2, 1854; but in consequence of the tardy success of the allied armies before Se- bastopol and the unwillingness of the other German powers to accede to the treaty, she again fell back upon her former vague promises, merely offering her good offices to the contend- ing parties. Not even when the Russians once more invaded Turkish territory did she move against them. Plenipotentiaries of the belli- gerent powers met at Vienna in March, 1855, but were unable to agree upon a basis of peace, and finally adjourned. During the prog- ress of the negotiations Austria had distinctly pledged herself to go to war if Russia should remain obstinate, when all at once she began to reduce her army on the frontier. Financial embarrassments and the cholera, which within a few months destroyed 25,000 soldiers, were the ostensible cause for this unexpected move-
