Library of Congress Public domain information from the Library of Congress Country Studies AUSTRIA IN THE AGE OF METTERNICH International Developments 1815 48 Clemens von Metternich was initially successful in maintaining a European consensus favorable to Austrian interests He used the example of liberal revolutions in Spain and Naples and revolutionary activity in Germany to demonstrate the universal menace posed by liberalism and thus won Austria the support of Prussia and Russia Britain also supported Austria because the two countries had common interests favoring a strong Austrian presence in Germany limited French influence in Italy and the maintenance of the Ottoman Empire to prevent Russian advances in the Balkans The support from the other great powers dissipated however in the mid and late 1820s Russia became more assertive in the Balkans and British policy increasingly reflected that nation s liberal popular opinion But Metternich was able to regain Russian and Prussian support in the early 1830s following another round of liberal uprisings in Europe Even Britain returned to close cooperation with the other powers to block French interests in Egypt Nevertheless Metternich failed to respond effectively to Prussia s formation of a German customs union in 1834 The customs union excluded Austria and promoted the economic integration of the other German states thus facilitating German political unification under Prussian leadership later in the century International Developments 1815 48 Clemens von Metternich was initially successful in maintaining a European consensus favorable to Austrian interests He used the example of liberal revolutions in Spain and Naples and revolutionary activity in Germany to demonstrate the universal menace posed by liberalism and thus won Austria the support of Prussia and Russia Britain also supported Austria because the two countries had common interests favoring a strong Austrian presence in Germany limited French influence in Italy and the maintenance of the Ottoman Empire to prevent Russian advances in the Balkans The support from the other great powers dissipated however in the mid and late 1820s Russia became more assertive in the Balkans and British policy increasingly reflected that nation s liberal popular opinion But Metternich was able to regain Russian and Prussian support in the early 1830s following another round of liberal uprisings in Europe Even Britain returned to close cooperation with the other powers to block French interests in Egypt Nevertheless Metternich failed to respond effectively to Prussia s formation of a German customs union in 1834 The customs union excluded Austria and promoted the economic integration of the other German states thus facilitating German political unification under Prussian leadership later in the century Domestic Policies Despite Metternich s high profile it was the emperor s conservative outlook and hostility toward the values and ideas of the French Revolution that set the parameters for Austrian policy This was especially true of domestic policy which Franz I retained under his direct personal control until his death in 1835 The composition of the state council that Franz selected to rule in the name of his mentally incompetent son Ferdinand I ensured the continuance of his policies until revolution shook the foundations of Habsburg rule in 1848 Franz s aim was to provide his subjects with good laws and material well being To accomplish the first he issued a new penal code in 1803 and a new civil code in 1811 He expected that the secondmaterial well beingwould evolve naturally with the reestablishment of peace and he considered additional measures unnecessary Political and cultural life was kept under careful scrutiny however to prevent the spread of nationalism and liberalism These two movements were a common threat to Franz s conservative regime because his political opponents looked to the establishment of a unified German nation state incorporating Austria as a means for realizing the liberal reforms impossible in the framework of the Habsburg state Political stagnation however did not prevent broader socioeconomic changes in Austria By 1843 the population had risen to 37 5 million an increase of 40 percent from 1792 The urban population was rising quickly and Vienna counted nearly 400 000 inhabitants Economically a degree of stability was reached and the massive wartime deficits gave way to almost balanced budgets This was made possible by cutting state expenditures to a level near actual revenues and not by instituting fiscal reforms to increase tax revenues Austria s ability to protect its interests abroad or carry out domest