The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism: Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848-1916 (Central European Studies) [Paperback]

Daniel L. Unowsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

This book examines the promotion and reception of the image of Franz Joseph (Habsburg emperor from 1848- 1916) as a symbol of common identity in the Austrian half of the Habsburg Monarchy (Cisleithania). In the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century the promotion of the cult of the emperor encouraged a Cisleithania-wide culture of imperial celebration.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel L. Unowsky is Associate Professor of Central and Eastern European history at the University of Memphis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Purdue University Press (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557534004
• ISBN-13: 978-1557534002
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imagining Austria, May 25, 2007

By 

Andrew Wheatcroft (Stirling, Scotland UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism: Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848-1916 (Central European Studies) (Paperback)

The world of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the long dead country of the Emperor Franz Joseph I now seems utterly mysterious. It is frozen in incomprehensible pageantry, strange rituals, 'kiss your hand dear lady', svelte uniforms (before WWI it was once voted the best dressed army in Europe.) This was the mysterious past so lovingly evoked by the movie The Illusionist.

But here is serious and scholarly book that explains the inner workings of this lost world. Daniel Unowsky is a professor at the University of Memphis who writes with verve, deep knowledge, and flashes of wry humour. This book should be read by everyone with an interest in Austria.

Unowsky understands the importance of ceremony and symbols in Austria-Hunagary. The centre of all this activity was the Emperor himself, the guarantee of stability, the model of a dutiful first servant of his people. This adulation was not accidental and in a riveting chapter 'Consuming the Emperor', he shows how the artless patriotism was in fact controlled and manipulated to achieve 'patriotic' ends.

This book is a must if you want to understand the reality behind the last years of the Habsburg Empire

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Interesting, October 4, 2008

By 

norstar1 "norstar1" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism: Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848-1916 (Central European Studies) (Paperback)

This professor does not truly know anything about the subject he wrote about. He has numerous mistakes, as well as outright unfactual statements, in his book. If it were catagorised as fiction, it would be a much better read.