Independent Bohemia Book

This series is producing some true gems. A fantastic look at the development of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Suggests that the Habsburgs made practical decisions that gradually increased monarchical and state power throughout the dynasty. Focuses on crises near the transitions of monarchs that force the monarchy to adapt and grow: it was the successful resolution to these crises that kept the family from collapsing and modernised AH. Angle is that geopolitics/foreign policy drove domestic policies. Good stuff.