Using a micro-analytical approach, this study attempts to capture some important aspects of the formation of new town elites in six Habsburg “agrarian-spiritual“ small towns from different parts of the vast Monarchy in the seemingly unconnected environments of Lower Austria (Eggenburg, Horn, Retz), South Tyrol (Brixen) and Eastern Moravia (Uherský Brod, Uherské Hradiště). We present the key moments which document the accentuation of qualitative changes at the societal, economic and political levels in the Monarchy’s small towns at the turn of the 20th century. We further introduce the starting points linked to the capabilities of the town elites to impact successfully upon and influence various policy levels for the benefit of a municipal sphere from which they themselves sprang.