"Emperor Franz Joseph, with his muttonchop whiskers, penchant for cold water dousings, and love of hunting, seems remote from the modern world. Yet during his long rule, absolutism was succeeded by constitutional monarchy, while the December Constitution of 1867 guaranteed equality and freedom of expression and worship for all the empire’s subjects. Vienna’s population was swollen by waves of migrants from other parts of the empire leaving their villages and towns to seek a better life. With this influx, it became a vibrantly multiethnic capital, its openness demonstrated by the demolition of the massive medieval city walls to create the encircling boulevard known as the Ringstrasse."
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https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/11/21/the-legacy-of-red-vienna-richard-cockett-uglow/