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Minutes of the Council of Ministers

of Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy 1848-1918

 

Documentary collection with textual critic and scientific comment.

 

The revolution of March 1848 - after a long absolutistic period - opened the way to constitutional development in Austria. The first achievement was made by installing responsible ministers and a responsible council of ministers. This institution, with changing fortune though, existed until the end of the Monarchy. The most drastic change was caused by the "Compromise" with Hungary in 1867, by which a Common Council of Ministers was founded. The Austrian as well as the Common Council of Ministers was the focus of all governmental activities of the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, respectively. Thus, the Minutes of the Council of Ministers offer an important historical source. Their range of topics reflects all aspects of public life, the structure and organization of the state as well as economic, social and cultural development.

The edition is a joint undertaking of Austrian and Hungarian historians.

 

Series 1: Minutes of the Austrian Council of Ministers 1848-1867

 

Series 2: Minutes of the Common Council of Ministers 1867-1918

 

Series 3: Minutes of the Cisleithanian Council of Ministers 1867-1918

 

 

Series 1: Minutes of the Austrian Council of Ministers 1848-1867

 

In 2015, Series 1 comprising 28 volumes was completed, spanning the period 1848 to 1867. All 28 volumes have been scanned and edited for online access under Open Access conditions in https://hw.oeaw.ac.at/ministerrat/. Currently, an XML version with high quality full text is being prepared: Die Ministerratsprotokolle 1848 - 1918.

 

Editor:

Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Institut zur Erforschung der Habsburgermonarchie und des Balkanraumes (IHB), Austrian Academy of Sciences 

 

Publisher: see Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

 

 

Series 1: Completed

 

Einleitungsband. Ministerrat und Ministerratsprotokolle 1848-1867. Behördengeschichtliche und aktenkundliche Analyse von Helmut Rumpler (Wien 1970). 


I. Abteilung: Die Ministerien des Revolutionsjahres 1848, edited by Thomas Kletečka (Wien 1996). 

II. Abteilung: Das Ministerium Schwarzenberg
Vol. 1: 1848 -1850, edited by Thomas Kletečka (Wien 2002)
Vol. 2: 1850, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Anatol Schmied-Kowarzik, assisted by Andreas Gottsmann (Wien 2005)
Vol. 3: 1850, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Anatol Schmied-Kowarzik, assisted by Andreas Gottsmann (Wien 2006)

Vol. 4: 1850-1851, edited by Thomas Kletečka, assisted by Anatol Schmied-Kowarzik (Wien 2011)

Vol. 5: 1852-1852, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Anatol Schmied-Kowarzik (Wien 2013)

 

III. Abteilung: Das Ministerium Buol-Schauenstein 1852-1859
Vol. 1: 1852-1853, edited by Waltraud Heindl (Wien 1975)
Vol. 2: 1853, edited by Waltraud Heindl (Wien 1979)
Vol. 3: 1853-1854, edited by Waltraud Heindl (Wien 1984)
Vol. 4: 1854-1856, edited by Waltraud Heindl (Wien 1987)
Vol. 5: 1856-1857, edited by Waltraud Heindl (Wien 1993)

Vol. 6: 1857-1858, edited by Stefan Malfèr (Wien 2014)

Vol. 7: 1858-1859, edited by Stefan Malfèr (Wien 2015)

IV. Abteilung: Das Ministerium Rechberg (1859 - 1861)
Vol. 1: 1859-1860,  edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 2003)

Vol. 2: 1860, edited by Stefan Malfèr (Wien 2007)

Vol. 3: 1860-1861, edited by Stefan Malfèr (Wien 2009)

V. Abteilung: Die Ministerien Erzherzog Rainer und Mensdorff 1861-1865
Vol. 1 :1861, edited by Horst Brettner-Messler (Wien 1977)
Vol. 2: 1861, edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 1981)
Vol. 3: 1861-1862, edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 1985)
Vol. 4: 1862, edited by Horst Brettner-Messler and Klaus Koch (Wien 1986)
Vol. 5: 1862-1863, edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 1989)
Vol. 6: 1863, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Klaus Koch (Wien 1989)
Vol. 7: 1863-1864, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Klaus Koch (Wien 1992)
Vol. 8: 1864, edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 1994)
Vol. 9: 1864-1865, edited by
Stefan Malfèr (Wien 1997)

VI. Abteilung: Das Ministerium Belcredi 1865-1867
Vol. 1 :1865-1866, edited by Horst Brettner-Messler (Wien 1971)
Vol. 2: 1866-1867, edited by Horst Brettner-Messler (Wien 1973)

 

 

Series 2: Minutes of the Common Council of Ministers 1867-1918

 

Series 2 published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is also available in the same digitised form: Die Ministerratsprotokolle 1848 - 1918 and https://hw.oeaw.ac.at/ministerrat/

 

Editor: Historical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

 

Publisher: see Akadémiai Kiadó Budapest

 

Series 2: Volumes published

 

Vol. I/1: 1867-1870, edited by Éva Somogyi (Budapest 1999)

 

Vol. I/2: 1870-1871, edited by Éva Somogyi (Budapest 2011)

 

Vol. IV: 1883-1895, edited by István Diószegi (Budapest 1993)

 

Vol. V: 1896-1907, edited by Éva Somogyi (Budapest 1991)

 

Band VI: 1908-1914, bearbeitet von Anatol Schmied-Kowarzik (Budapest 2011)

 

Vol. VII: 1914-1918, edited by Miklós Komjáthy (Budapest 1966)

 

 

Series 3: Minutes of the Cisleithanian Council of Ministers 1867-1918

 

The Edition of the Protocols of the Austrian/Cisleithanian Cabinet 1867-1918 is a Long‐Term Research Project at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The series comprises of 13 planned volumes concerning the Minutes of the Austrian Ministerial Council from the period 1867 to 1918. These volumes will be published in book form as to date, and now also online as a TEI-conforming XML full text digital edition.

Three volumes are granted by the FWF Austrian Science Fund.

 

This edition of the Austrian/Cisleithanian minutes of the council of ministers covers the half century period from the Austrian-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 up to the end of the monarchy in 1918. The edition will connect the editions of the minutes of the imperial Austrian council of ministers until 1867 and the republican Austrian council of ministers from 1918 onwards. The minutes of the common council of ministers and of the Hungarian council of ministers of the period 1867-1918 are also being edited. Unfortunately, the Austrian/Cisleithanian minutes of the council of ministers severely suffered from the burning of the Justizpalast in 1927. They are today part of the so called Brandakten. However, not all minutes were destroyed. The still existing minutes are to be published with textual criticism and scientific commentary, like the minutes of the other editions. A search for copies of destroyed minutes in other archives is also part of this effort. In addition, a table of all meetings and topics from the Kabinettskanzlei will be published.

Like the time before, until 1867, and the time after, from 1918 onwards, the council of ministers was the central institution, where the activity of government was concentrated. The width of topics covers all political and administrative problems: questions of structure and organisation of the state, development of the economy and society as well as cultural and social problems. The main topics are the interacting effects of problems of the provinces and problems of entirety of Austria/Cisleithania, including the nationality question, as well as the relation of the government to the parliament, the Reichsrat.

A scientific prepared edition of these important minutes is a necessary support for researchers and universities. They bear witness to crucial years of the history of today’s Austria and her neighbours. The project contributes a historical scientific base to international and interdisciplinary co-operation. Also, the publication of the Brandakten is a effort to save the cultural heritage, since each use of the original documents causes further damage.

 

In 2018, Volume 1 of Series 3 appeared.

 

Editor:

Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Institut zur Erforschung der Habsburgermonarchie und des Balkanraumes (IHB),

Austrian Academy of Sciences 

 

Publisher: see Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

 

 

Series 3: Volumes published

 

Vol. 1: 1867, edited by Stefan Malfèr (Vienna 2018)

Vol. 2: 1868-1871, edited by Thomas Kletečka and Richard Lein (Vienna 2022)

Vol. 3/1: 1871-1872, edited by Klaus Koch (Vienna 2022)

Questions and contact: administrator@ministerratsprotokolle.at