다수민족으로 구성된 합스부르크 제국은 그 숫자만큼이나 복잡한 문제들을 안고 있었다. 합스부르크 제국 말기의 민족 갈등과 대립은 삶의 전 분야에서 걸쳐 총체적인 위기를 초래하였고, 결국 이는 개별 민족국가로 해체되는 결과를 낳았다. 1차 세계대전의 패망이 제국해체의 직접적인 원인이었지만 이보다는 오히려 사회적, 민족적 갈등과 같은 문제가 더 근본적인 요인이었다. 합스부르크 제국의 와해와 함께 동유럽의 민족들은 주권과 독립을 획득하였지만 이 지역의 민족 문제는 오늘날까지 여전히 난제로 남아 있다. 합스부르크 제국의 해체과정을 오직 민족 해방의 관점에서만 보면 지배/피지배, 주인/노예, 억압/저항과 같은 갈등의 이분법만이 부각된다. 그러나 합스부르크 제국은 각 민족들의 욕망과 권력투쟁이 충돌하고, 다양한 이해관계에 따라 상이한 수준에서 지배 - 피지배 관계가 교차되고 중첩되던 민족주의의 실험실이었다. 합스부르크 제국이라는 공간에서는 모두가 적대자가 될 수 있고 모두가 동지가 될 수 있었으며, 어느 민족도 타 민족의 이익과 권리를 보장하지 않았다. 이런 점에서 합스부르크 제국의 민족문제는 편협한 민족주의의 시각으로는 포착할 수 없는 다양한 논의의 수준을 가지고 있다.

Undoubtedly the main problem of the late Habsburg monarchy wast the conflict among its nationalities. Its judgement by contemporaries as well as in the literature has been changing strongly. The points of view are moving between the almost harmonious appearance of a multinational state and the concept of a prison of peoples. Nationality conflicts are always based on facto of like language, culture, territory, religion and race. The Habsburg monarchy was lacking a concept of unity. If there was one it was unable to succeed against the concept of nationality. The tensions between nationalities in the last decades of the Habsburg monarchy were responsible for a number of national crises. The irreconcilability of the different nationalities foreshadowed the disintegration of the empire into nominal single nation states. The monarchy collapsed not so much as a result of the external events of World War I but of inner national and social conflicts. The dissolution of the monarchy however did not solve the nationality conflicts because its successor states in reality were multinational states as well, only smaller. Ultimately, many of the tensions among the nationalities are virulent even today and are shaping the political agenda in Central and Eastern Europe.

Undoubtedly the main problem of the late Habsburg monarchy wast the conflict among its nationalities. Its judgement by contemporaries as well as in the literature has been changing strongly. The points of view are moving between the almost harmonious appearance of a multinational state and the concept of a prison of peoples. Nationality conflicts are always based on facto of like language, culture, territory, religion and race. The Habsburg monarchy was lacking a concept of unity. If there was one it was unable to succeed against the concept of nationality. The tensions between nationalities in the last decades of the Habsburg monarchy were responsible for a number of national crises. The irreconcilability of the different nationalities foreshadowed the disintegration of the empire into nominal single nation states. The monarchy collapsed not so much as a result of the external events of World War I but of inner national and social conflicts. The dissolution of the monarchy however did not solve the nationality conflicts because its successor states in reality were multinational states as well, only smaller. Ultimately, many of the tensions among the nationalities are virulent even today and are shaping the political agenda in Central and Eastern Europe.

Habsburg Empire, National conflict, National-state building, Multinational State