Austro-Slavism

Austroslavism designated a political direction of the Slavs (especially the Czechs ) in Austria - Hungary in the second half of the 19th century following the Slavophile return and the first phase of the Czech national movement. They sought the transformation of the Austro- Hungarian Dual Monarchy in a trialist (ie three parts existing ) state. Main representatives were the Old Czechs František Palacký František Ladislav Rieger and, as well as Austrian social democratic theorists such as Otto Bauer and Viktor Adler. Around 1890, dissolved the political ideas of the radical Young Czechs from the Austro-Slavism.

Not only the Trialism, but a further federalization and democratization Austria -Hungary was in question. It related to the retention of the monarchy, but in which the nationalities would be given autonomy. With the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the Hungarian-Croatian counterpart 1868/1873 - which provides no such far-reaching concessions were made ​​- democratization is stuck in the sense of a federal structure of Austria-Hungary. In addition, the Hungarian half of the empire operational after 1867 a restrictive national policy ( Magyarization ), whose goal was the formation of a uniform Magyar nation state along Western European lines.

As a pioneer of Austroslavism applies the Slovene Jernej Kopitar Slawist ( 1780-1844 ). He gathered in the early 19th century, an extensive network, particularly South Slavic scholar to be collected Slavic antiquities and acted as co-founder of Slavic studies in order to increase the appreciation of the Slavs within the Habsburg monarchy in the sense of cultural nationalism.