The History of the Hapsburg Empire

The state dates back to two major events, which both took place during the baro period of the seventeenth century. These were state forming wars against the ottomans on the one hand, and the counter reformation against the inner enemy, protestantism,. In the eighteenth century, this state began to take up administrative tasks. It built schools and hospitals, punished crimes, introduced rent control and pension schemes. Even the emperor franz josef represented the image of the first public servant, toiling away at his desk from dawn till dusk for the sake of his subjects. This picture still lingers in the heads of modern day austrians.