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The Austro-hungarian foreign service between 1868-1918
Králová, Hana ; Županič, Jan (advisor) ; Zářický, Aleš (referee) ; Tejchman, Miroslav (referee)
1 Mgr. Hana Králová Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN FOREIGN SERVICE BETWEEN 1868-1918 Abstract Emerging from the reforms of the second half of the 18th century, the body of loyal civil servants gradually transformed itself into an efficient bureaucratic machine, which fully ensured the operation of the multinational Habsburg Monarchy until its disintegration. For many, a position within the civil service went hand in hand with attaining a certain prestige and rank within society, although the financial situation of lower and even mid - ranking civil servants was problematic at best. The foreign service, especially its diplomatic and central administration branch, undoubtedly ranked among the most prestigious parts of the civil service. Candidates, apart from being required to have the necessary level of educational attainment, were subject to a rigorous selection process focusing especially on their language skills. The diplomatic service also maintained its exclusivity by requiring candidates to provide proof of sufficient income, which limited access to candidates from among the wealthy elite, that is especially from among the traditional and new nobility a s well as from among the well-off individuals of bourgeois descent. The research has, however, also shown that...
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