The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary 1867-1918: Navalism, Industrial Development, and the Politics of Dualism

Central European Studies

by Lawrence Sondhaus

This detailed study charts the uneven growth of the Austrian navy from its high point following Archduke Ferdinand Max's administration and the War of 1866 to its ultimate dissolution after World War 1. In following this development, Lawrence Sondhaus not only relates the operational aspects of the Habsburg navy but also traces the growth of popular navalism in Austria-Hungary, the role of naval expansion in stimulating industrial development, and the peculiar difficulties of navy commanders in dealing with the Habsburg nationality problem and the cumbersome politics of Austro-Hungarian dualism.

441 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

Lawrence Sondhaus received his BA at Elon University. After studying as a Fulbright Scholar in Austria, he obtained his PhD at the University of Virginia. Since 1987 he has been on the faculty of the University of Indianapolis, where he currently serves as professor of history and director of the graduate program in history.

Reviews

[Diane]

Sondhaus is the rock-star of Austro-Hungarian history in the English language. After finding references to the book via Google search I picked up a copy on Amazon. Not my usual read but it filled in a lot of detail about my great-grandfather's experience as a young man in the AH Navy.
Sondhaus research is thorough and he adds life and nuance to the Admirals and clear context to this interesting time and place.

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid account of the evolution of the Habsburg fleet from the Ausgleich until the collapse of the Monarchy. Sondhaus is the leading English-language specialist on the Monarchy's navy and this is a very well-researched and straightforward account of an unjustly forgotten navy.