The Double Eagle

Abstract

Only five months after appointing Kolowrat to the presidency of the political section of the Staatsrat, the emperor entrusted him with the direction of the financial section as well. Charged also with all personnel matters of the entire Staatsrat ¹, he thus rapidly reached the dominant position Zichy had held in that body. With no single overall direction — largely as a result of Metternich’s objection — an easy opportunity was created for the man in charge of the two sections concerned with internal affairs to achieve paramount influence over the entire Staatsrat and, through it, over the entire field of internal policy.