History 102: Empires of a different kind?

The Habsburgs and Romanovs

Russia = Romanov Empire

Austria = Habsburg Empire

What did they have in common?

• Dynastic:

§ Romanovs

§ Habsburgs

• Similar Lifespans:

§ Romanovs, 1613-1917

§ Habsburgs, 1556-1918

• Land-based and continental

• Expanded across land, not overseas

Crucial: Both became Great Powers in the eighteenth century (1700s)
and LOVED IT!

• Habsburgs

• Prince Eugene of Savoy, 1663-1736

• Romanovs

• Peter the Great, 1672-1725

Both were also PRE-MODERN

• PRE-NATIONAL: formed before nationalism:

§ Loyalty

§ Local Elites

§ Status Quo

§ Taxes

And both were multi-ethnic

Then Modernization HIT!

1. Nationalism:

• Russification (Russia)

• Divide and Rule (Austria)

2. Industrialization

3. Urbanization

4. Liberalism and democratization

5. Bureaucratization