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Franz Joseph I. hat Februar 1853 die politische Überprüfung sämmdicher geheimen Räte angeordnet damit es nachgewiesen werden kann, ob ihre Loyalität gegenüber der Dynastie in den stürmischen Jahren 1848/49 unerschüttert geblieben war. Der Militär- und Civil-Gouvernement für Ungarn hat in dieser ziemlich heiklen Angelegenheit die Kommandanten der militärischen Kreise mobilisiert. Aus Pest wurde dann eine "auf vertraulichem Weg" d. h. durch einen Konfidenten erworbene Brief-Kopie an den Chef der Obersten Polizei-Behörde, Baron Johann Kempen von Fichtenstamm vorgelegt. Der Brief war in Oktober 1848 von László von Szőgyény, dem ehemaligen ungarischen Kanzler Stellvertreter geschrieben worden, der ab 1851 als Mitglied des Reichsrates zu der regierenden politischen Elite gehörte. Anfange 1849 hat sich Szőgyény verpflichtet, gegenüber der ungarischen RebellenRegierung der kaiserlichen Macht zu dienen, aber in dem ober erwähnten an einem von seinen Freunden gerichteten Brief hat er dennoch "die gegenüber unsere Heimat verübten niederträchtigen Intrigen", die "von oben aufgeführte ruchlose Politik" eindeutig verurteilt. Kempen hat die Kopie wahrscheinlich an den Kaiser unterbreitet, der aber das Zutrauen zu Szőgyény nicht verloren hat.

The period of the interim unconstitutional administration in Hungary (5.11. 1861-18.07.1865), the socalled 'Schmerling-Provisorium' had certain dual character concerning operating conditions of the civil associations. After the paralysis of the former decade the quantitative as well as qualitative indicators showed dynamic development having started already in 1857/58. On the other hand, the mechanisms of direct and indirect state control of their operation were turning even more oppressing. Through confidential and never published instructions Count Mor Palffy who as governor stood at the head of public administration of Hungary strove in these years to work out and enforce ever more and more stipulations in order to restrict their autonomy. Before 1864 he did not intend to issue new general regulation in this respect, instead he endeavoured to build further restrictive instructions into the statutes of the new associations. In 1864, nonetheless, he made an attempt at enforcing new comprehensive regulation, without success. In the Western provinces of the Austrian Empire the mere existence of the recently founded constitutional political institutions, first of all of the 'Reichsrat', prevented any similar attempt at bringing civil associatios under strict state control, moreover, Palffy himself considered the matter of associations as an provincial affair and not as an imperial one, thus he had to look for potential political supporters first of all among the high ranking Hungarian civil servants. The latter, however, mostly deemed Palffy's aspiration to be definetely harmful on the chances of any future political settlement.

Central and Eastern Europe has a long history of, on the one hand, ethnic conflicts and, on the other, of a revolutionary tradition against expansionism. Both have their roots in the geographical situation and ethnic composition of the region. All these problems have surfaced at times when the political status quo has been upset for some reason, such as after the two world wars and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Both great powers bordering the Danube region-Germany and Russia-have strived to develop their own versions of confederations (Mitteleuropa and Pan-Slavic movements). Also, politicians and intellectuals of the countries affected have proposed various theories, and made initiatives for different forms of closer or looser confederative formations. This book examines the reasons for the failure of these initiatives, these reasons including such factors as ethnically-motivated political antagonism, and the lack of economic complementarity. Contributing valuable information on the problems of political and economic integration, which should not be forgotten in a period when the countries of the region are looking towards the European Union, expecting-realistically or not-the solution of their various conflicts