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Age of reform -> Széchenyi
It was his main work called credit . He explained his ideas about his reforms. He wanted to boost the hungarian economy . -
Age of reform -> Kossuth Lajos
He edited the Dietal Reports from 1832. Kossuth's reports were produced as hand-written copies . He advocated equality before the law.He also demanded the abolition of entailment so that landlords could get loans to finance the modernization of agriculture. -
Debate between Kossuth and Széchenyi
Széchenyi considered the aristocracy, Kossuth the lower nobility as the appropriate agents of the reform process. Though they respected each other and they wanted the same, they wanted to reach the same in a different way. For instance : Széchényi wanted a slower development , meanwhile Kossuth wanted the same in quicker way. -
Before the Revolution of 1848
There were 4 main party : the cautious progressives , the radicals , the centralist last but not least the revolutionary democrats -
Last feudal diet
The opposition had a slight majority in parliament: its leader was Kossuth in the Lower House and Batthyány in the Upper House. The opposition achieved moderate success: the contribution of the nobility to municipal tax was accepted, however, general taxation was rejected. Entailment was abolished, but the compulsory redemption of serfs was not passed. -
The wave of european revolutions
On 13th March revolution broke out in Vienna sweeping away Metternich's conservative system. At the news of the Viennese revolution the Upper House approved of Kossuth’s proposal. A delegation of the diet set off to present the document to the Habsburg ruler. -
The 15th March in Pest-Buda
The revolutionary democrats, who came to be known as the "young men of March", decided to take immediate action. They first marched to the printing workshop of Landerer and they had the Twelve Points and Petőfi's freshly written poem, ‘Nemzeti Dal’ printed. Then they went to the City Hall of Pest and made the council accept the Twelve Points -
The First Independent Responsible Government in Hungary
On March 18th Count Batthyány Lajos was appointed Prime Minister of Hungary with the task of forming a cabinet.
The Batthyány’s government, which moved to Pest in April, was a coalition. This coalition reflected the distribution of power. What does coalition mean ? Coalition is a union of different political parties for a special purpose usually for a limited period of time, e.g. in times of elections parties can join forces to gain more electors . -
The April laws
Hungary became a hereditary constitutional monarchy which preserved the link with the Habsburg Monarchy through the person of the king. Decisions of the king were not valid unless they were signed by one of the Hungarian ministers. The ministers constituted the independent Hungarian government responsible to the parliament. The annually convened legislature consisted of an upper house of the aristocracy and a lower house elected every three years. A representative parliament was born. -
The first representative elections in Hungary
It was against this background that elections were held in June 1848. The first representative Hungarian parliament was convened on 5th July 1848. About three-quarters of the MPs were noblemen. -
The Beginning of the Hungarian War of Independence
The Batthyány government started to disintegrate as several ministers stepped down from power. On 11th September 1848 Batthyány himself handed in his resignation when Jelacic crossed the border with his army with the permission of the Habsburg government. The September turn of events transformed the Hungarian revolution into a war of self-defense. -
The fight of Jelacic
Jelacic, encouraged by the court, crossed the Hungarian border in the south in September 1848. However, his troops were halted and defeated in the Battle of Pákozd on 29th September. -
The fight of Jelacic
The Viennese radicals, who idolized the Hungarian revolutionaries, arose in another revolution, which triumphed on 6th October 1848. The Habsburg Court left the capital for Olmütz, Moravia, where severe steps were taken: General Prince Windischgraetz was appointed the commander-in-chief of all Habsburg armies. The emperor invested him with full powers to suppress the revolutions both in Vienna and in Hungary. -
Campaign against revolutionary Hungary
On 13th December 1848 Windischgraetz launched a large-scale offensive campaign against revolutionary Hungary.
Windischgraetz attacked from the west.
In the south the troops of Kiss Ernő, Damjanich János and Vécsey Károly fought against the Croatian and Serbian rebels.
General Schlick attacked from the north, from Galicia.
The troops of Görgey, Aulich Lajos and Klapka György defended north-eastern Hungary.
Polish general, Bem József started a victorious campaign. -
The declaration of Independence
The parliament proclaimed the dethronement of the Habsburg dynasty and the Declaration of Independence.
