nationalities and the parties. It
habituated them to give rein unceasingly to their
ambitions and to seek to attain them less by their
own force and labor than by intrigue. The public
demoralization, illustrated to-day so clearly by
the Austrian crisis, is properly the result of the
Taaffe system." M. L. Eisenmann, in Lavisse et
Rambaud, Histoire Generale, XII., 177.]

*530. The German Recovery: Badeni, 1895-1897.*--To the eventual
breakdown of the Taaffe regime various circumstances contributed. Two
of principal importance were the defection of the Young Czechs and the
failure of the several attempts to draw to the support of the
Government the moderate German Liberals. At the elections of 1891 the
Young Czechs obtained almost the entire quota of Bohemian seats, and
at the same time the Liberals recovered enough ground to give them the
position of the preponderant group numerically in the lower chamber.
Neither of these two parties could be persuaded to accord the (p. 479)
Government its support, and during 1891-1893 Taaffe labored vainly
to recover a working coalition. Finally, in 1893, as a last resource,
the Government resolved to undermine the opposition, especially German
Liberalism, by the abolition of the property qualification for voting
in the cities and rural communes. The nature of Taaffe's electoral
reform bill of 1893 has been explained elsewhere, and likewise the
reason for its rejection.[680] Anticipating the defeat of the measure,
the premier retired from office October 23, 1893.

[Footnote 680: See p. 467.]

The Germans now recovered, not their earlier power, but none the less
a distinct measure of control. November 12 there was established,
under Prince Windischgraetz a coalition ministry, comprising
representatives of the German Liberals, the Poles, and the Clericals,
and this cabinet was very successful until, in June, 1895, it was
wrecked by the secession of the Liberals on a question of language
reform in Styria. After four months, covered by the colorless ministry
of Count Kielmansegg, Count Badeni became minister-president (October
4, 1895) and made up a cabinet, consisting largely of German Liberals,
but bent upon an essentially non-partisan administration. The two
tasks chiefly which devolved upon the Badeni ministry were the reform
of