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Hungary Constitutional and Legal Framework
Once again a Habsburg emperor became king of Hungary,
but the
compromise strictly limited his power over the country's
internal
affairs, and the Hungarian government assumed control over
its
domestic affairs. The Hungarian government consisted of a
prime
minister and cabinet appointed by the emperor but
responsible to
a bicameral parliament elected by a narrow franchise.
Joint
Austro-Hungarian affairs were managed through "common"
ministries
of foreign affairs, defense, and finance. The respective
ministers were responsible to delegations representing
separate
Austrian and Hungarian parliaments. Although the "common"
ministry of defense administered the imperial and royal
armies,
the emperor acted as their commander in chief, and German
remained the language of command in the military as a
whole. The
compromise designated that commercial and monetary policy,
tariffs, the railroad, and indirect taxation were "common"
concerns to be negotiated every ten years. The compromise
also
returned Transylvania, Vojvodina, and the military
frontier to
Hungary's jurisdiction.
At Franz Joseph's insistence, Hungary and Croatia
reached a
similar compromise in 1868, giving the Croats a special
status in
Hungary. The agreement granted the Croats autonomy over
their
internal affairs. The Croatian ban would now be
nominated
by the Hungarian prime minister and appointed by the king.
Areas
of "common" concern to Hungarians and Croats included
finance,
currency matters, commercial policy, the post office, and
the
railroad. Croatian became the official language of
Croatia's
government, and Croatian representatives discussing
"common"
affairs before the Hungarian diet were permitted to speak
Croatian.
The Nationalities Law enacted in 1868 defined Hungary
as a
single nation comprising different nationalities whose
members
enjoyed equal rights in all areas except language.
Although
non-Hungarian languages could be used in local government,
churches, and schools, Hungarian became the official
language of
the central government and universities. Many Hungarians
thought
the act too generous, while minority-group leaders
rejected it as
inadequate. Slovaks in northern Hungary, Romanians in
Transylvania, and Serbs in Vojvodina all wanted more
autonomy,
and unrest followed the act's passage. The government took
no
further action concerning nationalities, and discontent
fermented.
Anti-Semitism appeared in Hungary early in the century
as a
result of fear of economic competition. In 1840 a partial
emancipation of the Jews allowed them to live anywhere
except
certain depressed mining cities. The Jewish Emancipation
Act of
1868 gave Jews equality before the law and effectively
eliminated
all bars to their participation in the economy;
nevertheless,
informal barriers kept Jews from careers in politics and
public
life.
Data as of September 1989
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