The Parliament

“Vienna's Parliament was constructed in the Greek Classical style to reflect the democratic ideals of the new parliamentary government adopted by the city of Vienna. The building was designed to give an illusion of height, with the tall pillars and the second-story level entrance. A statue of Athena was placed in front of the building, facing the street, not the Parliament, however, further shifting the focus on the Ringstrasse.” (1) The building of the Parliament might have been the most intelligent thing the emperor did to please the bourgeoisie. The Parliament was created to give the bourgeoisie more power and to appease their desire for power while keeping final decision making to the emperor. The creation of the Parliament gave the power that the bourgeoisie wanted to them, and gave them their fancy building, just like in Paris and London. The only difference was that in London, the bourgeoisie controlled the Parliament which controlled the country, in Paris, the Parliament was a joke and the monarch had all the power and in Vienna, the Parliament was an illusion of power to the bourgeoisie.

(1) http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/aaron/parliment.html