НАЦИОНАЛНО ПИТАЊЕ НА УГАРСКОМ САБОРУ ОД 1861. ДО 1868. ГОДИНЕ
NATIONAL QUESTION IN THE HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT FROM 1861 TO 1868

Summary/Abstract: In the mid-nineteenth century most of the population in Hungary consisted of non-Hungarians. Since a class system of the country collapsed in 1848 nationally conscious elements of the Serbs, the Romanians and the Slovaks demanded collective rights and guarantees for the survival of their nations. Hungarian liberals led by Lajos Kossuth opposed non Hungarian requirements, which led to a bloody conflict. During Alexander Bach’s absolutism and Anton Schmerling’s provisional solution Hungarian political elite was glad to negotiate with other nations’ representatives in Hungary in order to secure their support in the conflict with the Viennese court. In 1861, when the Hungarian Parliament addressed the monarch Franz Josef in consideration of settling relations between Hungarian and non-Hungarian population in the country, very few Serbian and Romanian MPs demanded the recognition of the existence of different nationalities in Hungary and ensure their full equality. The proposal was rejected on the basis that such a complex issue was unnecessary to consider at the parliament. It was obvious that the demands of the Serbs, the Slovaks and the Romanians, in terms of territorial autonomy, were ineligible for Hungarian MPs. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the status of Hungarians in Hungary compared to other nations was significantly improved. Therefore the Hungarian politicians considered to have met the requirements for the classification of national issues in the country. In 1868 the Parliament first considered the law on the status of the Orthodox Christians in Hungary. The autonomy of Serbian, Romanian and other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches and schools was settled by this law, as well as the establishment of the Romanian metropolitan residence. Serbian lawmakers succeeded to pass such a law that provides the longest possible process in the event of litigation between the two Orthodox metropolitans in order to defend the Serbian church property from the excessive demands of the Romanians. The law on the status of different nationalities in Hungary should have been considered right after. Three drafts were proposed to the Parliament. The first was made by the Minister of Education and Religion Baron József Eötvös. The national question was relegated to the issue of the use of different languages in administration, judiciary and education. A similar proposal has been submitted by Ferenc Deák with the fact that his legal draft in the introduction emphasized the exclusive Hungarian national character of the country. Non-Hungarian deputies also submitted their draft to the Parliament with anticipation that the Hungarians, the Serbs, the Romanians, the Slovaks, the Germans and the Rusyns were recognized as equal nations and the Hungarian counties were organized on the ethnic principle. After bitter debate, where the non-Hungarian MPs proposal was branded as an attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of Hungary, the Parliament adopted a draft law by Ferenc Deák. Although the non-Hungarian lawmakers said the law was completely unsuitable, because only Hungarians were recognized as the nation and the use of other languages in administration, judiciary and education was limited it soon became clear that it represents the upper limit that the Hungarian politicians were willing to promise to non-Hungarian population. Non Hungarian status has been aggravated soon after the consolidation of dualistic establishment. The authorities unlawfully suppressed the use of other languages, while striving to ban or put under their supervision work of cultural and educational associations of non-Hungarian nations.

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