The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism. Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848–1916 by Daniel L. Unowsky

Abstract

AUSTRIAN STUDIES, I4, 20 6 357 crushed by theAustrians. The final three chapters draw attention to the growing popularity of the Eastern Alps, and also to the effects of the revolution on disillusioned visitors in the second half of the century,who sensed the instability of theMonarchy and the vulnerability ofAustria. While the thematic methodology on the whole works well, the rationale for ordering the extracts within chapters is not always chronological. More direct textual engagement in the chapter introductions would have enabled the editors to explore the significance of the passages more thoroughly. To cover such a vast date span is ambitious, and one would expect there to be much that is leftout, but an edition on this scale needs a secure sense of the chronology of events, and the indications of what is to come in the second volume are vague. With regard to the latter, the editors suggest, curiously, that 'our visual age of photo tourism leaves no written records' (pp. 12-13). The inclusion of page numbers of the original publications of the primary sources would have been useful, and more care could have been taken with the copy editing. Nevertheless, this text will have a general appeal to those working on travelwriting and will, hopefully, inspire others to continue to investigate further. Edinburgh University Eleoma Joshua The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism. Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848 7916. By Daniel L. Unowsky. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. 2005. xiii + 263 pp. $29.95. ISBN ^-bbblb^-A00-^ In 1898, in response to the procession of children organized by the Christian Socials in Vienna to celebrate Emperor Franz Joseph's jubilee, the Arbeiter Zeitung asked a pertinent question: 'What is patriotism? Before the procession one believed that it was a feeling of belonging to the native soil, to the hereditary People' (p. 158). Afterwards, given the cynical exploitation of the event by Lueger's party, thiswas apparently no longer true. Rather, 'patriotism' had been transformed into the ability tomarch in time before themonarch. In his most interesting and informative book, Daniel Unowsky reports this questioning of themeaning of patriotism, but he himself does not engage with it.For all the remarkable research and high-level scholarship contained in this book on 'patriotism', there isvery littlediscussion ofwhat that very complicated term actually means. Unowsky is enlightening about the politics of the dynastic propaganda effort undertaken throughout Franz Joseph's reign to bolster loyalty to themonarch. Unowsky's basic thesis is thatHabsburg power can only be fully understood if one recognizes the authority amassed by the imperial house's investment in the instruments of display, whether in the form of religious ritual, court display, tours of the provinces, or in festive celebrations. His rather predictable conclusion is that in these terms Franz Joseph was not the tragic failure many allege but actually did rather well in instilling loyalty amongst his subjects to himself, 'and through him the state he led' (p. 182). Unowsky articulates his exposition of this propaganda effort in three parts: there is an initial section outlining the components of Habsburg 'charisma'; then we are taken out to the provinces, 358 Reviews to Galicia; the third part is an extensive analysis of the 1898 jubilee, how the imperial authorities attempted to elaborate what Unowsky calls 'the cult of the emperor' to rally the quarrelling nationalities around themonarch, and how thiswas hijacked by the Christian Socials inVienna to propagate an exclusory, anti-Semitic and ideologically narrow definition of 'patriotism'. The book ends with a short conclusion, inwhich Unowsky takes a swipe at those 'blinded' by adverse press coverage into thinking that the subsequent 1908 jubilee was not a success. For Unowsky, with a few problems admittedly, itwas a success, as was the Habsburgs' propaganda effort generally. Indeed, the book ends as an encomium to the 'charisma' of Franz Joseph and his success inmaintaining his authority ? and that of the state he led. As one of those 'blinded', I would have to differ with Unowsky on that last point. The book is an extremely well-informed study of an often fascinating subject. The account of the court discussions around the 1898 theatrical effort to articulate Habsburg identity...