Századok – 1997

Tanulmányok - Szalay Miklós: Ifjabb Andrássy Gyula gróf pályájának első szakasza (1860–1904) III/623

676 SZALAI MIKLÓS THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE CAREER OF COUNT GYULA ANDRÁSSY, JR. by Miklós Szalai (Summary) Gyula Andrássy, jr. was born in 1860. After finishing his studies he served as a diplomat for a short time, then became the representative of the Szabadelvű Párt [Liberal Party] in Parliament. However rarely he contributed to the debates, he gradually became the leader of the liberal magnates' faction within the party. This group was against the methods of Tisza and his followers. During the struggle concerning church policy Andrássy was Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior, and later became Minister of the Royal Household supporting liberal reforms. In the meantime he wrote his first scholarly work entitled Az 1867-iki évi kiegyezésről [On the Compromise of 1867]. He was hostile to the Bánffy cabinet formed in 1895 and during the extreme political tension of 1898 due to the obstuctive methods of the opposition Andrássy and his group (the so-called „dissidents") left the government party and returned only after the formation of the Széli cabinet. During these years Andrássy gradually abandoned the orthodox standpoint concerning the Compromise and advocated the appeasement of the opposition, avoidance of forcible methods, and granting certain political concessions. Kálmán Széll's regime tried to realize this concept but was finally consumed by the opposition pursuing obstructive methods anew and the Tisza group dissatisfied with its liberal attitude. István Tisza, Prime Minister from autumn, 1903 was a man against whom Andrássy entertained ever growing hostile feelings, because he wished to break parliamentary obstruction with forcible methods. When Tisza got the reform of standing parliamentary law through parliament by force in November, 1904, Andrássy and his group explicitely broke with him and the Szabadelvű Párt.