Manchester 1960sAt the turn of the 20th century, Austria-Hungary was growing rapid economic growth averaged to nearly 10% a year. It was the period of rapid industrialization; the majority of the rural population moved to the cities and became workers in new factories. However, the political situation was not straightforward and ideal for the future due to the decades of conflicts between monarchies and kings. The universal male suffrage introduced in 1907 changed the balance of power, formally tilted towards German Austrians, and revealed that they were now a minority in a predominantly Slavic empire. The 1911 elections elected a parliament that would carry Austria through the Great War and the end of the Empire in 1918.
The war with Serbia was inevitable according to the Austrian diplomats after the Bosnian crisis of 1908. the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the conflict and Austria declared war against Serbia which marked the beginning of World War I.
Here below are some stunning historical photos that show Austria in the 1900s.
Wow. The beautiful writings on the signs looked so great and went just perfectly with the architecture, and the style of clothing people wear. Great pictures.
Nice! I am also impressed by how stylish the people were back then and how beautiful the business fronts were. Not much was better in the past, but one or the other was.
Thank you for sharing
It looks like they were taken just now – very cool.
Very interesting, thank you! Although Klimt seems to have always worn the same smock.