October Diploma

October Diploma is called in the Austrian historiography the federalist embossed Austrian constitutional law of 20 October 1860. Was in 1861 replaced by the centralist February Patent, this 1867 by the December Constitution, which, after the Compromise with Hungary in the non-Hungarian territories of the monarchy to the end 1918 was. The title of the Act was Imperial diploma of 20 October 1860 regulating the internal constitutional relations of the monarchy.

The neo-absolutist system of government was introduced in 1851 with the New Year's patent. However, Emperor Franz Joseph I failed so militarily in northern Italy in 1859 ( battles of Magenta and Solferino ) and politically throughout the monarchy. The most economically gaining strength bourgeoisie demanded political participation by Western European pattern. The October Diploma was a half-hearted attempt to give the weakened emperor more support in their countries.

Content

The October Diploma was the emperor in the form of a manifesto and a diploma issued ( RGBl. No. 225 and 226/1860 ). It included the outline of a new Constitution in the form of government of a constitutional monarchy. It was an Imperial Parliament with 100 members created which should have only minor importance but in financial and economic policy advisory role in the legislative field. Foreign and war policy continued to be the sole decision-making authority of the emperor.

The diploma was a compromise between the centralizing tendencies of the German (then known as German designated ) population and the federalist aspirations of other nationalities. The parliaments of the individual crown lands should be given considerable autonomy in relation to the Imperial Parliament.

The compromise was neither the German Liberals nor the Magyars, who responded to their inclusion in the common Imperial Parliament with tax resistance, satisfactory. The general resistance led four months later to a revision of the October Diploma in February Patent of 26 February 1861 that paid the constitutional promises made patent in October, but was again rejected by Hungary until 1867 it came to compensation.