Analyze the reforms attempted by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Maria Theresa was in many ways limited from the moment she took the throne of Austria in 1740, in that, as a female, she was unable to take the title of Holy Roman Emperor (a title which could only pass to a male), and her father Charles VI had made significant concessions which limited her power in order to ensure continuity of the dynasty. She was supported in the War of Austrian Succession, although she eventually lost Silesia to the Prussians. While on the throne, however, her domestic policies focused on state-building and centralizing her rule and administration, as had Prussia and Russia earlier. She began with restructuring the military, but in order to do that, she had to revise the tax system to pay for her changes. She convinced Bohemia and Austria to grant her taxation rights for ten years, which effectively undermined the nobility (magnates') right to control finances within the diet. She also reformed her bureaucracy and empowered certain councils to make policy decisions, thus delegating power. Her significant reforms included the attempt to alleviate the burden on the serfs in Austria, which pitted her against the landed nobility. Finally, she also attempted reform of the Catholic Church with the state taxing the church, and she participated in the partitioning of Poland in 1772.