Levéltári Közlemények, 87. (2016)

Habsburgok és Magyarország a kiegyezést követően - Schwarczwölder Ádám: A király válaszúton. Ferenc József és a Bánffy-kormány válsága

Habsburgok és Magyarország a kiegyezést követően

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ÁDÁM Schwarczwölder

The king at a crossroads

Franz Joseph and the crisis of the Bánffy-government

By the end of 1898 Dezső Bánffy’s cabinet was in a state of crisis. A failure to establish a new custom and trade alliance, led to gridlock, and served as the apparent casus belli; however, the truth was that the opposition has been waiting for the opportunity to oust the prime minister since the 1896 elections. Bánffy was willing to fight with the opposition in order to break the gridlock. In order to do so, he first needed to ask for the king’s endorsement, which he eventually received. The governing party, however, did not unanimously support the head of government, which led to the party’s splintering on December 6. As a result of these changed political circumstances, Bánffy was inclined to recommend reconciliation with the opposition. Franz Joseph consented to the negotiations, but imposed strict conditions.

It was the time when Kálmán Széli stepped into the political limelight with his concessionary proposals, as he shared them with the king. He must have been convincing, because Franz Joseph appointed him to lead the negotiations. An agreement was finally made in mid-February; Bánffy resigned, and Széli became the new head of the government.

The study draws on new sources to give a more nuanced account on the Franz Joseph - Bánffy - Széli relationship, and focuses on the king’s role and demeanor. Neither Bánffy nor Széli could have made any promises to the opposition without Franz Joseph’s initial go-ahead. This approach puts the question of who reconciled with whom, into a new light, while the sources allow us to see how Franz Joseph’s initial viewpoint gradually changed over time.

64 Aznap került sor az új Széli-kabinet beiktatására, 12:15-től a király egyenként fogadta a minisztereket, sorrendben: Fejérváry Gézát, Wlassics Gyulát, Darányi Ignácot, Lukács Lászlót, Cseh Ervint, Széchényi Manót, Plósz Sándort, Hegedűs Sándort, végül Széli Kálmánt.

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