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Social mobility of elites in the Central European regions (1861–1926)

On what foundations did modern European societies grow? Who were the people who fundamentally directed and influenced the development of these societies? How did the position and selection of elites change in different regimes? What were the differences between elites in various Central European regions? Finding answers to these questions is the focus of the project Social mobility of elites in the Central European regions (1861–1926).

The interdisciplinary project analyses and compares transformation processes in modern European societies on the example of two non-central regions of the Habsburg Monarchy: Bohemia and Transylvania. It shows how social mobility, education, family and other ties of elite social groups contribute to de/stabilizing of the society as a whole. The research is conducted on two groups of members of the decision-making strata: higher-ranking state officials and deputies of the land diets, the Imperial Council in Vienna and the Hungarian Parliament. In an imaginative way, the project combines methods from both humanities and nature sciences.

Pro-Republican Senator Antonín Slavik, 1948

Its main goal is to investigate factors which had a significant impact on whether an individual would become a member of the above-mentioned elite groups, to clarify the process of circulation of elites and the transition of imperial experience and structures into the newly created succession states. It shows links between a career of an individual and his family ties and sheds light on demographic factors influencing the modern European family.

In order to inform the lay and academic public about the progress of the project and show various ways to get involved, a website https://elitesresearch.com/en has been launched. People with a keen interest in genealogy might use the resources presented here and build their own family tree. Furthermore, a database of elite persons and their family members, which is created and used by the project team, will be available to general public.The descendants of the elite persons will then have a chance to learn more about their family history. The website is also used for organising workshops and conferences. We encourage other researchers who study similar topics and seek cooperation to contact us and share invitations to their events. 

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Published: Jul 26, 2022 02:50 PM

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