Pyrtko M. State and legal reforms in Austria in 40-90 years of the XVIII century

In the dissertation on the basis of the analysis of normative-legal acts operating in the territory of Austria in the researched period, scientific literature, archival documents and other written sources the complex research of realization of state-legal reforms in Austria in 40-90th years of XVIII century is comprehensively investigated. The dissertation research substantiates the essence of the reforms of enlightened absolutism in the Austrian Empire, shows their causes, preconditions and philosophical and legal principles. It is noted that although the reforms of Maria Theresa and Joseph II should be considered in the context of European changes at the time, the educated absolutism on Austrian soil had only its own characteristics (chamberlain principles of economics, tactical flexibility in maintaining an ethnically divided empire, reliance on the church). Prerequisites, stages and features (including difficulties) of modernization of the Austrian state mechanism, which was aimed primarily at centralization and the creation of an effective management apparatus, are shown; centralization was designed to strengthen the power of the emperor and undermine the political weight of regional elites in accordance with the principle – state power – one in essence. A number of archival sources have been put into scientific circulation, which show that the administrative and economic reforms of Joseph II contributed to the integration of the scattered provinces of the Austrian Empire into a single economic complex, which Maria Theresa failed to do completely. The mercantilist and chamberlain policies of the imperial court helped to improve the economic situation of the state. The key among economic reforms, no doubt, was the abolition of serfdom, which at the same time had a positive effect on both the agricultural and industrial sectors of the economy. After the peasant reform of 1781–1782, the peasant ceased to be a serf and found himself under the protection of state law (they began to be treated as full citizens); he owned the land he cultivated and could receive income from it, the landlord could not remove him from this land, as was the case with the serf.