There's a certain romanticism about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, probably because it was as stagnant as it was for such a long time. It was easy to project an almost Graustarkian Mittel-European aura upon it as if it were something from an opera or an adventure story. In fact, it was as bloody and greedy and as tightly held as any autocracy anywhere. It's ruling class was closed and fought the incursion of the modern world, particularly those aspects of it that could affect its power.
P.S. One of the few works of art that captured this was the movie 'The Illusionist'. The Mayerling in its various forms is mere romanticism, not that that's a bad thing.
There's a certain romanticism about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, probably because it was as stagnant as it was for such a long time. It was easy to project an almost Graustarkian Mittel-European aura upon it as if it were something from an opera or an adventure story. In fact, it was as bloody and greedy and as tightly held as any autocracy anywhere. It's ruling class was closed and fought the incursion of the modern world, particularly those aspects of it that could affect its power.
P.S. One of the few works of art that captured this was the movie 'The Illusionist'. The Mayerling in its various forms is mere romanticism, not that that's a bad thing.
Pure Capitalism?
It has been scientifically demonstrated that Viagra can only cure Covid if the patient is a pure Ayran. Same type argument.