Kremsier Parliament
Encyclopedia
The Kremsier Parliament was a constituent assembly
called in July 1848 in reaction to opposition to the Pillersdorf Constitution
of 25 April 1848 and would last until its dissolution on 7 March 1849. Its main product was the Kremsier Constitution
which was preempted by the imposed March Constitution.
, and convened in July in reaction to the Pillersdorf Constitution
of 25 April 1848. The Kremsier Parliament formerly convened in Vienna
but later resided in Kremsier, Moravia
, to avoid martial law in Vienna following the Vienna Uprising
. Following the popular trend in Europe during the Revolutions of 1848
, in October 1848 workers rioted in Vienna for a constitutional monarchy and blockaded the troop transports headed for Hungary. The workers hoped that siding with the Hungarian rebellion would bring military strength to the Viennese workers revolt. However, the revolt failed when General Windischgrätz surrounded the city and violently crushed the workers. With Vienna under martial law, the Assembly decided to move to Kremsier to write the new constitution.[1]
. In the first week of March 1849, the Kremsier Constitution
was completed. It featured many progressive reforms including forming a constitutional monarchy, creating a parliament that would share power with the Emperor, abolishing the privileged status and all titles of the Catholic Church within the Empire, deriving the Emperor's power from the people rather than the "Grace of God,"[2] and finally, making all languages and nationalities equal in the eyes of the Monarchy.[3] The Kremsier Constitution was short-lived, however, with Prime Minister Felix Schwarzenberg dissolving the Assembly and nullifying the constitution within days of completing the document (sometime between 4 March 1849 and 6 March 1849 depending on source used).
since the region was in revolt, thus all Hungarian issues were completely ignored. Third, the Assembly failed to take into account the larger picture, meaning there was no acknowledgement of the Frankfurt
Assembly's attempts to create a unified Germany (including the German states within Austria) and there was no realization that the Prime Minister, Schwarzenberg, was drawn to the Frankfurt Assembly.[5]
[2] J.A.S. Grenville, "Europe Reshaped 1848-1878" Second Edition (Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 2000) 110.
[3] Robert Okey, "The Habsburg Monarchy c. 1765-1918" (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001) 200.
[4] Edward Crankshaw, "The Fall of the House of Habsburg." (New York: Penguin Books, 1963) 63.
[5] Crankshaw 63.
[6] Grenville 110.
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
called in July 1848 in reaction to opposition to the Pillersdorf Constitution
Pillersdorf Constitution
The Pillersdorf Constitution was a constitution of the Austrian Empire promulgated by Minister of the Interior Baron Pillersdorf on 25 April 1848. It called for public, oral, and jury trials. It only lasted until 16 May when it was replaced for a call for a constitutional convention and completely...
of 25 April 1848 and would last until its dissolution on 7 March 1849. Its main product was the Kremsier Constitution
Kremsier Constitution
The Kremsier Constitution or Kremsier Draft was a draft constitution of the Austrian Empire drafted by the Kremsier Parliament from October 1848 to early March 1849. The Kremsier Parliament had moved from Vienna to Kremsier after the failed Vienna Uprising. It was preempted by the imposed March...
which was preempted by the imposed March Constitution.
Historical background
The Kremsier Parliament had been elected in JuneCisleithanian legislative election, 1848
Parliamentary elections were held for the first time the Austrian section of the Habsburg Monarchy in June 1848.This group of territories would in Austria-Hungary be referred to as Cisleithania....
, and convened in July in reaction to the Pillersdorf Constitution
Pillersdorf Constitution
The Pillersdorf Constitution was a constitution of the Austrian Empire promulgated by Minister of the Interior Baron Pillersdorf on 25 April 1848. It called for public, oral, and jury trials. It only lasted until 16 May when it was replaced for a call for a constitutional convention and completely...
of 25 April 1848. The Kremsier Parliament formerly convened in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
but later resided in Kremsier, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, to avoid martial law in Vienna following the Vienna Uprising
Vienna Uprising
The Vienna Uprising or October Revolution of October 1848 was the last uprising in the Austrian Revolution of 1848....
. Following the popular trend in Europe during the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, in October 1848 workers rioted in Vienna for a constitutional monarchy and blockaded the troop transports headed for Hungary. The workers hoped that siding with the Hungarian rebellion would bring military strength to the Viennese workers revolt. However, the revolt failed when General Windischgrätz surrounded the city and violently crushed the workers. With Vienna under martial law, the Assembly decided to move to Kremsier to write the new constitution.[1]
The Kremsier Assembly
The overarching theme of the Assembly's deliberations was the vast array of conflicting nationalities living under the Habsburg MonarchyHabsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
. In the first week of March 1849, the Kremsier Constitution
Kremsier Constitution
The Kremsier Constitution or Kremsier Draft was a draft constitution of the Austrian Empire drafted by the Kremsier Parliament from October 1848 to early March 1849. The Kremsier Parliament had moved from Vienna to Kremsier after the failed Vienna Uprising. It was preempted by the imposed March...
was completed. It featured many progressive reforms including forming a constitutional monarchy, creating a parliament that would share power with the Emperor, abolishing the privileged status and all titles of the Catholic Church within the Empire, deriving the Emperor's power from the people rather than the "Grace of God,"[2] and finally, making all languages and nationalities equal in the eyes of the Monarchy.[3] The Kremsier Constitution was short-lived, however, with Prime Minister Felix Schwarzenberg dissolving the Assembly and nullifying the constitution within days of completing the document (sometime between 4 March 1849 and 6 March 1849 depending on source used).
Critique of the Assembly
Edward Crankshaw raises three major critiques of the Kremsier Assembly in his book, The Fall of the House of Habsburg. First, the constitution claimed that all political power was derived from the people yet it called for a central authority.[4] Could anyone have honestly thought a Habsburg Emperor with central authority vested in him would have genuinely taken into account the plight of the masses? Is it even possible to understand one's subjects if they come from thirteen major ethnicities? Second, the Assembly had zero representatives from HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
since the region was in revolt, thus all Hungarian issues were completely ignored. Third, the Assembly failed to take into account the larger picture, meaning there was no acknowledgement of the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
Assembly's attempts to create a unified Germany (including the German states within Austria) and there was no realization that the Prime Minister, Schwarzenberg, was drawn to the Frankfurt Assembly.[5]
Reaction to the Kremsier Constitution
Following the dissolution of the Assembly, Schwarzenberg had his own constitution drawn up. The new constitution saved only one significant piece of the Kremsier Constitution: vernaculars were now permissible at the local levels for all non-political discussion. Besides this stripped version of an article in the Kremsier Constitution, four major points were drawn up in the new constitution: 1) the Emperor was given absolute authority in dealing with the military and foreign policy. 2) Parliament would meet once a year but the Emperor had the power to dismiss them and veto all legislation Parliament passed, effectively turning Parliament into a bicameral debate society. 3) the Emperor was equipped with an advisory council of his choosing. 4) German was the official language of the Empire for politics, education, and administration and the Empire was united under one crown, one constitution, and one parliament.[6] As one can see, the progressive movement of the Kremsier Parliament created a devastating backlash against the growing national identities of the Empire. The Empire was now tightly controlled in a neo-absolutist regime with a hostile attitude towards nationalist tendencies.Footnotes
[1] Victor Tapie, "The Rise and Fall of the Habsburg Monarchy" trans. Stephen Hardman (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1969) 282.[2] J.A.S. Grenville, "Europe Reshaped 1848-1878" Second Edition (Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 2000) 110.
[3] Robert Okey, "The Habsburg Monarchy c. 1765-1918" (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001) 200.
[4] Edward Crankshaw, "The Fall of the House of Habsburg." (New York: Penguin Books, 1963) 63.
[5] Crankshaw 63.
[6] Grenville 110.