Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of
1867 (German: Ausgleich, Hungarian: Kiegyezés) established the dual
monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise partially re-established[1] the
former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary, however
being separate from, but no longer subject to the Austrian Empire. The
compromise put an end to the 18-year-long military dictatorship and absolutist
rule over Hungary, which was introduced by Francis Joseph after
the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The territorial integrity of the Kingdom of
Hungary was restored. The agreement also restored the old historic
constitution of the Kingdom of Hungary.[2]
The Hungarian political leaders had two main goals during the negotiations.
One was to regain the traditional status (both legal and political) of the
Hungarian state, which was lost after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The
other was to restore the series of reform laws of the revolutionary parliament
of 1848, which were based on the 12 points that established modern civil and
political rights, economic and societal reforms in Hungary.[3] Even the April
Laws of the Hungarian revolutionary parliament (with the exception of the
laws based on the 9th and 10th points) were restored by Francis Joseph.
Under the Compromise, the lands of the House of Habsburg were
reorganized as a real union between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of
Hungary, headed by a single monarch who reigned as Emperor of Austria in
the Austrian half of the empire, and as King of Hungary in Kingdom of
Hungary. The Cisleithanian (Austrian) and Transleithanian (Hungarian) states
were governed by separate parliaments and prime ministers. The two
countries conducted unified foreign diplomatic and defense policies. For
these purposes, "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence were
maintained under the monarch's direct authority, as was a third ministry
responsible only for financing the two "common" portfolios.
The compromise was widely considered as a betrayal of the vital Hungarian
interests and the achievements of the reforms of 1848 by the Hungarian
society (The status of Hungary before the 1848 revolution was a
mere personal union; however, after the compromise of 1867 her status was
shrunk to a real union).[4] Thus the compromise remained bitterly unpopular
among the ethnic Hungarian voters,[5] because ethnic Hungarians did not
vote for the ruling Liberal party in the Hungarian parliamentary elections.
Therefore the political maintenance of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise
(thus Austria-Hungary itself) was mostly a result of the popularity of pro-
compromise ruling Liberal Party among the ethnic minority voters in Kingdom
of Hungary. According to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, "There were
three of us who made the agreement: Deák, Andrássy and myself."[6]