Hungary and the Habsburgs, 1765-1800
An Experiment in Enlightened Absolutism
Éva H. Balázs,
Eötvös Lóránd University, Budapest
Translated by Tim Wilkinson
"All those who have realised the
importance of Hungary but lacked the wherewithal to
teach it will welcome this superb distillation of a
lifetime's study in a lucid English translation. It
combines the fruits of research in Europe's archives
with an extensive secondary literature, and the comprehensive
references reveal that the book has been updated since
its appearance in Hungarian... This is far more than
a book on Hungary's relations with the Habsburgs: it
is nothing less than the integration of Hungary into
the history of the Habsburg Monarchy (and indeed Europe)
in the last third of the eighteenth century." -
British Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies
"... the strength of this valuable
study clearly is the social-historical analysis of Josephism
in a wide political context." - Central European
History
"... not simply an English translation
of the original. Although no conteptual changes have
been introduced, the text has been improved and extended,
notes, a detailed bibliography, a separate index, etc.
have also been added. Tim Wilkinson superbly did the
translation, and the Central European University Press
now publishes this new, nice version."
- Sudost-Forschungen
One of the most distinguished historians
of Central Europe examines a crucial period in the coexistence
of the Austrian hereditary provinces and Hungary. In
a Europe torn by wars and revolutions during the last
third of the eighteenth century, political, economic,
and personal factors intertwined to determine the fortunes
of the Austrian rulers and the subjects of the Hungarian
crown who collaborated with them.
Contemporary as well as modern scholars have taken
extreme positions on this period. Contributing to the
often heated debates, Professor Balázs shows that it
was a vigorous and constructive era in the monarchy.
Rejecting the commonplaces of the center-periphery approach,
she demonstrates that the Habsburg monarchy was a center
whose reforms during this period inspired all subsequent
reform movements in Central and Eastern Europe.
Professor Éva H. Balázs coordinates Ph.D. training
in eighteenth-century studies at Eötvös Loránd University,
Budapest, and is the recipient of the French Légion
d'honneur and many other significant awards.
1997
304 pages
ISBN 978-963-9116-03-0 cloth $45.00 / €33.00 / £30.00
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