Petrović, Nikola: Hajózás és gazdálkodás a Közép-Duna-Medencében a merkantilizmus korában (Vajdasági Tudományos és Művészeti Akadémia, Novi Sad - Történelmi Intézet, Beograd, 1982)

Summary

Absolute monarchy was not, naturally, an end in itself, nor an embodiment of some unrealistic ideal. Its administrative reforms were closely followed by economic measures. Permanently engaged in (financially) very demanding wars, and striving to expand its boundaries and annex ever more territory, the vast absolute monarchy which was the Habsburg empire, struggled with might and main to develop its economy. Quarrelling with the aristocracy, which it had been subjugating to its power, and continuously conflicting with the clergy, especially the catholic, it entered an alliance with the middle class, supported its economic development and, therefore, in an economic sense, became gradually dependent upon it. But also in the political arena in the middle class it had an ally against the localistic and particularistic aspirations of the aristocracy.

From the second half of 18th century on, mercantilistic principles, already well known in the West, were becoming more and more a cornerstone of the internal policies of the Habsburg empire. The settling up of state and the encouragement of the private enterprises, the development of home and foreign trade, especially export got vigorous support from the state administration. The state paid particular attention to the colonization of the vast areas of the Great Plain (i.e. the southeastern parts of the Empire). These areas had been won from the Otoman empire, after a series of wars during the late 17th and early 18th century. They were very suitable for the development of agriculture; they were located between the great Pannonian rivers — the Danube, Sava, Tisa and Drava, and the Tamis.

The author then reviews the measures the Austrian administration was taking in order to promote her economy on a mercantile basis after Maria Theresa came to power in 1840. He draws particular attention to efforts to promote navigation on the rivers, mostly neglected, in the central Danube basin, the construction of a reliable highway between Karlovac on the Kupa and the ports of the Kvarner bay (northern Adriatic). Since this study is concerned with the central Danube basin, my attention has been focussed mainly on two highly fertile provinces, won from the Turks at the end of 17th and the beginning of 18th century and almost isolated from the rest of the empire and Europe, i.e. Banat and Backa. The whear from Banat and Backa was not only an attractive source of staple for the central and western provinces of the empire, but also a valuable export article, particularly after ghe outbreak of the Napoleonic wers, when it was in growing demand, and when the needs of the empire to export and import were also constantly rising as it itself became involved in the European wars.

The problems of keeping the rivers navigable, still plied by horse- drawn and even man—drawn wooden boats therefore took on crucial significance for the economy and agriculture. If the wheat from Banat and Baőka, the granaries of the latter-day empire, could not be marked, the peasants farming the great feudal state and private lands would not be economically interested in intensifying production. The market showed

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