Political Makeup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
The year 1750 was a decisive one for the Hapsburg monarchy. While its control spanned most of Central Europe, defeat at the hands of Frederick the Great and the Prussians left their Austrian Empire in a difficult position. Needing to maintain unity within a far-flung, multi-ethnic community, the Empire began to devolve its powers away from Vienna (de La Grange 1973, 419). By 1867, and after another losing struggle with the Prussians, the Empire had split into two autonomous regions (Austria and Hungary) which governed from five capital cities (Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Prague.
To call this empire multi-ethnic might even be an understatement. In addition to the dominant German and Magyar cultures, the Empire house Czechs, Serbs, Slovenes, Italians, Croats, Romanians, Poles, Ukrainians, and Slovaks.