The Jews of Vienna in the Age of Franz Joseph (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)
by Robert S. Wistrich
Category: History

This book depicts and evaluates the "golden age" of Viennese Jewry which coincided with the long reign of the Emperor Franz Joseph between 1848 and 1916. Based on research into the demographic socio-economic, cultural and political factors that favoured the ascent of Viennese Jewry and also the anti-Semitic movements which accompanied its rise, the author reconstructs the place of the Jews in the Empire and provides new insights into the ideological conflicts that have marked the 20th century. The author describes the liberal-Jewish symbiosis, the impact of the nationality struggles in the Empire and its repercussions on Jewish group identity. He examines the genesis of Zionism, Autonomism, Austro-Marxism, and psychoanalysis as "Jewish" strategies and responses to the dilemmas of modernization. The book explains the religious and political structure and orientation of the official Jewish community and analyzes the problems of identity that affected the Jewish intelligentsia and helped make Vienna the scene of one of the most seminal intellectual revolutions in history.