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Paměť a propaganda. Dějiny habsburské monarchie jako učebnice vědy o vládě v díle francouzských osvícenských historiků

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Ondo Grečenková M.

Folia historica Bohemica

2009

vol. 24

issue 1

199-230

This essay offers one of the plausible interpretations of the history of the Habsburg monarchy and establishment of its society as it was presented to the public by French enlightened historians. It views their works through the eyes of contem-porary readers and elaborates on the information and knowledge of the world and politics which they might have achieved by reading the works. The essay contemplates on the reasons which made French authors deal with the history of the Habsburg monarchy and explains principles which they applied in the process. The central section of the paper concentrates on enlightened interpretational models that described historical events and closes with contemporary argumentation on the “order” of historical progress of the nation. The new political situation and alliance between the Habsburg monarchy and France, which was sealed by a marriage of Maria Theresia’s daughter and the future French king in 1756, called for broad publicity and ideological support from the French public. There was a good reason for official and non-official propaganda to promote an idea of happy future for both nations. Historical discourse served as one of the genres, which facilitated this mission. Although enlightened historiography promoted strict rules for historical writing, the final effect of a historical text on the reader seemed to be more important than adhering to the principles. The historio-graphic work was thus governed by facts that produced the most suitable information about improving the society and its advance towards harmony and order. The proclaimed principle of enlightened criticism and objectivity faded away in favour of promoting history as a school of morality and politics. Historical interpretation was governed by a fundamental enlightened explanatory model based on a conception of the society and the nation performing on the principle of unity of the aggregate and its components. Individual sections of this model (i.e. the people’s manners, the rulers and relations between these categories) were judged by the principle of a bi-polar system of contradictions: e.g. good/bad, they/we, enlightened ruler/tyrant, order/chaos, etc. This system allowed authors of historical works to lead a dialogue with current affairs and apply schemes of enlightened rulers, ideal mannerism and good rule on concrete historical examples. Neither mannerism nor ruling methods were conceived as historical categories, but their assessment corresponded with 18th century concepts. In this way, Empress Maria 230 Theresia could have become the “enlightened” ruler just like the legendary Forefather Čech from the dawn of history. Rather than underlining specificities, such historical interpretations of the Habsburg monarchy involved universal historical and political issues, which might have been identical with the history of a different country. Historians became more involved in the specificities when they started vindicating absolute power within the Habsburg monarchy, in which Bohemian lands and the Hungarian Crown played a major role. Even here, the bi-polar interpretational model (positive/negative, absolute power/estate monarchy) was applied. The French interpretational models, which were applied to the history of the Habsburg monarchy, epitomised a portrait of an enlightened society. They steered interpretation of historical progress towards the principles of enlightened political philosophy – i.e. “scholarship about ruling” as it was often referred to in contemporary terminology.

Příslib štěstí a tyranie dokonalosti. Reformy státu v depeších francouzských velvyslanců o vládě Josefa II.

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Ondo Grečenková M.

Folia historica Bohemica

2012

vol. 27

issue 1

155-186

The elaboration of the study is based on dispatches of French envoys on the Vienna court, which reflect reform activities of Emperor Joseph II. The first section describes the theory of reforms, innovations and modernizations as it was conceived by 18th century authors and questions, which they asked in connection with benefits and “dangers” of the reform activities. The main part concentrates on a debate between the French foreign minister and his envoys regarding a potential success of modernizing projects of French enlighteners based on observation of enlightening reforms implemented by Joseph II in the Habsburg monarchy and by his brother Peter Leopold in Tuscany. Special attention is paid to debates over the reformer’s influence on the success of the reforms and results of “monitoring” the public opinion as regards the benefit of the introduced changes and methods of their implementation.

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2 Folia historica Bohemica

2 Ondo Grečenková M.

1 2012

1 2009

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Paměť a propaganda. Dějiny habsburské monarchie jako učebnice vědy o vládě v díle francouzských osvícenských historiků

Příslib štěstí a tyranie dokonalosti. Reformy státu v depeších francouzských velvyslanců o vládě Josefa II.