The minutes of the cisleithanian Council of Ministers Vol. 2

Volume II of the edited Minutes of the Cisleithanian Council of Ministers covers the years 18681871, the period from the first Cisleithanian government under Carlos Auersperg to the resignation of the interim government under Ludwig Holzgethan. The documents published in this volume belong to those that have been severely affected by the Palace of Justice fire in 1927. Of the 618 sessions that took place during the period in question, 73 original protocols have survived the fire only partially. During research for the volume, however, several items on the agenda of 14 ministerial councils meetings could be retrieved from copies and excerpts stored in alternative archival holdings. In addition, the minutes of two extraordinary meetings that have been preserved through the Taaffe estate have been included in the volume. Among the central topics of the meetings covered by this volume were the implementation of the Austro-Hungarian "Ausgleich", the implementation of the December constitution, the liberal reform laws regulating the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state, and attempts to improve relations with the Poles and the Czechs. In addition, other topics from the areas of economy, law, social policy and administration were on the agenda of the Council of Ministers. The protocols provide researchers interested in the history of Austria with important documents in a scientifically curated form. They contain valuable background information on crucial years in the history of Austria and its neighbouring countries.