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Home , Revolutions of 1848

in Hungary 1848

The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of the many European of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. The revolution in the grew into a war for independence from the , ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. After a series of serious Austrian defeats in 1849, the Austrian State came close to the brink of collapse. Thus, the new young emperor Franz Joseph I had to call for Russian help in the name of the . Czar Nicholas I answered, and sent a 200,000 men strong army with 80,000 auxiliary forces. Finally, the joint army of Russian and Austrian forces defeated the Hungarian forces. After the restoration of Habsburg power, Hungary was placed under brutal martial law. The anniversary of the Revolution's outbreak, 15 March, is one of Hungary's three national holidays.

Vienna, the capital of the ethnically diverse Austrian Empire, was a leading cultural center in . Full of artists, composers, writers, and intellectuals, was truly the jewel of the Austrian Empire, and the Austrian empire, led by Metternich, was the paragon of politics. Yet the various ethnic groups in had become increasingly nationalist over the preceding decades, and by now they all yearned to express their individual volksgeist and gain independence. Metternich had worked for years to hold the Austrian Empire together, but now, in the wake of the French February Revolution, the ethnic groups vehemently opposed assimilation. In March 1848, a radical Hungarian Magyar group led by Louis Kossuth began a vocal independence movement. Kossuth's fiery speeches were soon printed in Vienna, where they started a sensation and soon an uprising. Metternich, monitoring the Revolutions throughout Europe, had become fearful. He decided to flee, and quickly snuck out of Vienna. The situation probably wasn't as bad as he thought, but once news got out that Metternich had left, the Austrian got truly excited. Austrian Czechs and numerous Austrian controlled Italian states followed the Magyars lead. Some of the excitement also spilled into , where, to ease the pressure, the Prussian King Frederick William IV promised a . On March 15, Kossuth's Hungary was granted independence under Hapsburg rule. The Czech movement in Bohemia soon received the same status, and Italian states like Milan soon overthrew Austrian occupation. In June 1848, the revolutions in Austria began to run out of steam. After all, it was a non- industrialized country that did not have a well-developed middle class. Their revolution, largely led by intellectuals and students, could not marshal the same amount of popular support as the in . In June 1848, in , a group of Slavic nationalists held a Pan-Slavism conference in an attempt to stop Bohemia from being swallowed by . The conference soon became violent. Emperor Ferdinand of Austria smashed the Prague insurrection using the army, and he also sent his forces against the rebellious Italian states of Lombardy and Milan, which were soon reconquered. In September and October of 1848, Louis Kossuth started a movement to make Magyar the official language of Hungary, even though only half of the population of Hungary spoke Magyar. The Serbo-Croatians, who did not speak the Magyar language, rebelled and asked the Hapsburgs for help. In December, another in Vienna led Emperor Ferdinand to abdicate, putting his son, Franz Joseph, into power. Franz Joseph quickly appealed to the Russians, who marched into Hungary and crushed the Magyars. The 1848 revolutions in Austria came to an end, restoring order in the Empire. The Austrian Empire was very large in 1848, and filled with around a dozen ethnicities, each with its own language. In some areas, certain ethnic groups dominated, while in other areas, other groups dominated. Austria itself had a German majority, while the Magyars were the predominant ethnicity in Hungary. Czechs dominated Bohemia, and various groups of Slavs made up most of the remaining population of the Empire.

With the first spark, these separate nationalist ethnicities exploded. However, like France, after a moment of nationalist promise the revolutions of 1848 soon dissolved or were crushed. The big weakness of the Austrian revolutionaries lay in the structure of Austrian society. Unlike Britain and France, with its large middle class buoyed by industrialized wealth and its urban , Austria had no well-developed middle class. The Austrian revolutions, particularly in Vienna, therefore had no powerful support base. The students and intellectuals couldn't sway the illiterate and rural who had no notion of and who primarily made up the army. The army thus stayed loyal to the Hapsburgs and helped to suppress the revolution. With Vienna intact, the Hapsburgs were able to move out through their empire and reconquer it, with the help of the Russians.

With all of the revolutions suppressed, Austria became an even more autocratic state. While the other European countries were generally moved towards change by the revolutions of 1848, Austria's Reactionary state, even with the fall of Metternich, became even more conservative and repressive. Incidentally, during the revolutions of 1848, a small nationalist German minority in Bohemia, in the area called the Sudetenland, made clear their desire to become a part of Germany. Though of minor significance in 1848, this desire would become important almost a century later when the seized it as their ostensible reason for annexing the Sudetenland at the beginning of World War II. The Hungarians were lucky to have Louis Kossuth as leader. He gave great force and a sense of direction to the revolution. He was a leading figure in the Hungarian , a brilliant speaker and was able to galvanise the members of the Diet into action. From a British textbook published in 1985. Describe the role of Kossuth in the Hungarian Revolution, 1848–49. [4]  Kossuth was a leading figure in the revolution.  In 1848, he addressed the Hungarian Diet.  He demanded independence for Hungary.  Kossuth was a brilliant speaker and able to inspire people into action.  He demanded the immediate implementation of the 1847 reforms which had already been agreed by the Diet.  Kossuth was a Magyar and believed that Croat and Slovak nationalism had no place in the new Hungary.  Kossuth declared Hungary an independent with himself as president.  The reacted angrily to Kossuth’s suggestions.  The Croats invaded Magyar territory supported by the .  The Austrians asked the Russians to help defeat Kossuth’s forces.  Kossuth’s forces could not resist the troops of Tsar Nicholas l.  After the Hungarian surrender to the Russians, Kossuth fled.

Describe the events of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848–9.

 In 1848, Kossuth addressed the Hungarian Diet and demanded independence for Hungary within the Empire.  Kossuth was a brilliant speaker and was able to inspire people into action.  Austrian control of Hungary was temporarily taken over by the Hungarian Diet in Budapest.  The Hungarian Diet passed laws which abolished , introduced religious freedom and abolished press censorship.  Kossuth could see no room in the new Hungary for Croat or Slovak nationalism.  The Croats reacted angrily and invaded Magyar territory. Kossuth declared Hungary an independent republic, but the Austrians persuaded the  Russians to bring about surrender.  The Austrians then resumed overall control of Hungary after their own problems were overcome.

Describe how the Hungarian Revolution had ended by 1849.  He demanded independence for Hungary.  Kossuth demanded the immediate implementation of the 1847 reforms, which had already been agreed by the Diet.  Kossuth was a Magyar and believed that Croat and Slovak nationalism had no place in the new Hungary.  In April 1849, Kossuth declared Hungary an independent republic with himself as president.  The Croats reacted angrily to Kossuth’s suggestions.  The Croats invaded Magyar territory supported by the Austrians.  The Austrians asked the Russians to help defeat Kossuth’s forces.  Kossuth’s forces could not resist the troops of Tsar Nicholas I.  After the Hungarian surrender to the Russians, Kossuth fled.  The Hapsburg regained control of Hungary.  Reprisals were taken against the Hungarian army, including executions.

Describe the part played by Kossuth in events leading to the March Laws of 1848. [4]  In 1848, he addressed the Hungarian Diet.  He demanded independence for Hungary.  Kossuth was a brilliant speaker and able to inspire people into action.  He demanded the immediate implementation of the 1847 reforms, which had already been agreed by the Diet.  Kossuth was a Magyar and believed that Croat and Slovak nationalism had no place in the new Hungary.  Kossuth declared Hungary an independent republic with himself as president.  The Croats reacted angrily to Kossuth’s suggestions.  The Austrian Emperor, Ferdinand I, at first constitutionally confirmed the March Laws.  Later, the Austrians with Russian support defeated Kossuth’s forces.

Why did the Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49 fail?  Kossuth could see no room in the new Hungary for Croat or Slovak nationalism and that there was no question of them gaining their independence from Hungary. The Croats reacted angrily and there was an invasion into Magyar territory secretly supported by Austria  Kossuth excluded Croats and Slovaks  Austria secretly supported the Croatians  The Austrians asked Russia for help.  Russian involvement meant fighting a large army  Kossuth’s forces were not experienced  Kossuth made mistakes about nationalism.’

The 1848–49 Revolution in Hungary was more successful than that in France.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [10]

 The Austrians were not powerful enough and so gained assistance from Russia to put down the rebellion. The Hungarians had to surrender in August 1848. Many Hungarians were dealt with brutally. Having lost, the Imperial Government cancelled many of the reforms, making German the official language and ruling Hungary directly from Vienna.  Louis Philippe, the monarch of France, took fright and fled Paris, leaving the rebels in charge. Socialists and Republicans combined to form the of the new Second Republic on 25 Feb 1848. Immediately the vote was given to all men over 21, increasing the electorate by 8 million.’  Hungary – ‘The A-H Emperor had to accept the March Laws.  Kossuth informed the Croats and other minority groups they had no chance of independence from Hungary; this caused a firm Croat reaction.  A Croatian rebellion was successfully repelled by the Hungarians.  This rebellion was secretly supported by the Austrians.  On the appointment of Francis Joseph as Emperor, Kossuth declared Hungary an independent republic.  The Russians joined the Austrians to successfully put down the rebellion.  The Imperial Government cancelled many of the reforms.  France – ‘Following a revolt in Feb 1848, the was lost and the Second Republic set up.  All men over 21 were given the vote.  National Workshops were created in Paris but these only lasted until June.  The ‘June Days’ insurrection was suppressed by troops with large loss of life.  Louis was elected the President of the new Republic.  He started building works to make France great again.  He sent an army to restore Pope Pius IX to the Vatican.

Why was the role of the Hungarian Diet important in causing revolution in 1848? [6]  The March Laws were passed but not implemented. In March 1848, Kossuth addressed the Hungarian Diet in a vitriolic speech exciting the patriots but frightening the conservative nobles. He demanded independence for Hungary and the immediate implementation of the 1847 reforms. Uprisings followed.  There was an issue over which language to use in the Diet.  Proceedings in the Diet were dominated by the liberals.  A number of important reforms were introduced in 1847 (the March Laws) but not implemented.  Kossuth made use of the revolutionary fervor sweeping across Europe.  In March 1848, Kossuth in a speech demanded independence for Hungary.  ‘Nationalism and were issues.’