Constitutional experiments Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

galician slaughter (polish rzeź galicyjska ) jan lewicki (1795–1871)

in 1859, following austro-hungarian military defeat in italy, empire entered period of constitutional experiments. in 1860, vienna government, influenced agenor goluchowski, issued october diploma, envisioned conservative federalization of empire, negative reaction in german-speaking lands led changes in government , issuing of february patent watered down de-centralization. nevertheless, 1861, galicia granted legislative assembly or galicia diet. although @ first pro-habsburg ukrainian , polish peasant representation considerable in body (about half assembly), , pressing social , ukrainian questions discussed, administrative pressures limited effectiveness of both peasant , ukrainian representatives , diet of galicia became dominated polish aristocracy , gentry, favoured further autonomy. same year, disturbances broke out in russian poland , extent spilled on galicia. sejm ceased sit.

by 1863, open revolt broke out in russian poland , 1864 1865 austro-hungarian government declared state of siege in galicia, temporarily suspending civil liberties.

the year 1865 brought return federal ideas along lines suggested agenor goluchowski , negotiations on autonomy between polish aristocracy , vienna began once again.

meanwhile, ruthenians felt more , more abandoned vienna , among old ruthenians grouped around greek catholic cathedral of saint george, there occurred turn towards russia. more extreme supporters of orientation came known russophiles . @ same time, influenced ukrainian language poetry of eastern ukrainian writer, taras shevchenko, ukrainophile movement arose published literature in ukrainian/ruthenian vernacular , established network of reading halls. supporters of orientation came known populists , , later, ukrainians . ruthenians, however, still hoped national equality , administrative division of galicia along ethnic lines.