AndrAssy, Julius, Count, 1823–90, Hungarian politician, Austria And Hungary, History, Biographies

Related Category: Austria And Hungary, History, Biographies

AndrAssy, Julius, Count[on´drAsh-shE] Pronunciation Key, 1823–90, Hungarian politician. One of the leading figures in the 1848–49 Hungarian revolution, he supported the liberal program of Louis Kossuth and after the Hungarian defeat he went into exile, mostly in Paris and London, until 1858. With Francis Deak he then rose to prominence in the negotiations leading to the Ausgleich [compromise] of 1867, which created the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. AndrAssy was (1867–71) the first constitutional premier of Hungary. He opposed Austrian interference, attained the creation of a separate Hungarian defense force, put down the opposition led by Kossuth's partisans, and established Magyar supremacy at the expense of Slavic and other minorities of the kingdom. In 1870 his influence was largely responsible for keeping Austria-Hungary neutral in the Franco-Prussian War. As foreign minister of the Dual Monarchy (1871–79) he reversed the anti-Prussian policy of his predecessor, Beust, held Austria-Hungary to the Three Emperors' League, and signed (1879) the Dual Alliance with Germany (see Triple Alliance and Triple Entente). His chief program was to limit Russian expansion in the Balkans and to maintain the status quo among the Slavic peoples. At the Congress of Berlin (see Berlin, Congress of) in 1878, he obtained for the Dual Monarchy the right to occupy Bosnia and Hercegovina. This step provoked much opposition in Hungary because it further increased the Slavic element in the empire, and AndrAssy resigned.

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