Page - 964 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

964 The Twilight Empire were not necessarily new, however ; they had already been in people’s minds in the period before the war, and had repeatedly been reformulated since the Stürgkh era. However, Hussarek’s programme did not amount to national autonomies, but federal- ism.2333 Besides, however, it was clear to most that Hussarek regarded himself primarily as an official servant of the Emperor, who was obliged to obey the Monarch and who did what Karl asked of him. In so doing, he was also not in the least in a position to feel flattered that he was the key adviser to the Emperor for the Austrian half of the Empire ; he was now simply one of a number of such imperial advisors, and was just as unable as they were to bring the escalating flurry of activity under control. Initially, the new Prime Minister wanted to govern with a cabinet of civil servants, to leave most of the ministerial posts occupied by the same people who had been in place when he had taken over from Seidler, and not to incorporate parliamentarians with whom the issue of constitutional reform was to be tackled until the autumn. The Czechs could no longer be won over, but did make a slight concession by pledging a ‘loyal opposition’.2334 The Polish Club also promised support, while Hussarek received positive responses only from a portion of the German parties. The southern Slavs re- mained in opposition. Hussarek therefore took the only step that was available to him in his position : he took on the role as a type of placatory privy councillor and issued a bland governmental declaration that appealed solely to patriotism. When however he demanded justice for all peoples and social classes, the radical German representatives raised a commotion. Since the Prime Minister needed their support, he finally gave his silent approval to all demands made by the German radicals, who called for the rapid implementation of the act on the division of the regions. In this way, Hussarek achieved a majority for the next provisional budget, which was approved by 31 Decem- ber 1918.2335 It was the last budget of Habsburg Austria. The Radicals Set the Agenda Was this now anything more than merely a historical term ? The country was in uproar. The railway workers, and the telephone and telegraph offices in Poland had intermit- tently shut down their services. Officials went on strike, and thus even this bastion of officialdom, which continued to regard itself in Josephinist terms, began to shake. The military command in Kraków (Krakau) demanded that martial law be imposed for civilians. Legal uncertainty was rampant ; the military order dissolved.2336 Civilian and military authorities feuded. A significant portion of the clergy was bound to national political ideas. In Poland, a military underground organisation, the Polska Organizacja Wojskowa (POW), had been formed from the Polish auxiliary corps that had been dissolved by the Army High Command in February 1918.2337 Soldiers from Polish