TISZA, ISTVAN (Stephen), COUNT (1861-1918), Hun garian statesman, was born on April 22, 1861, youngest son of Kal man Tisza (q.v.). Educated at Berlin, Heidelberg and Budapest, he entered the ministry of the interior, where he specialized in agrarian matters. His Magyar agrdrpolitik (Budapest, 1897), au thoritative on its subject, was translated into German the same year. In 1886 Tisza began his long parliamentary career, and on June 17, 1903, he was entrusted with the formation of a ministry of pacification, but was unable to secure a majority. On Oct. 27, however, with the assistance of the Free Principles Party, he succeeded in composing a cabinet, in which he was minister of the interior as well as premier. On Nov. 16-18, to meet the obstruc tion of the opposition, he introduced new and stringent rules of procedure which he declared adopted, thereupon suspending the session. The Andrassy group, however, left him soon after, and after a stubborn battle with anarchical conditions in which legis lation was impossible Tisza appealed to the country and was heavily defeated. After Count Khuen-Hedervary became prime minister (Jan. 1910) Tisza reorganized the old Liberal party under the name of the National Party of Work with a programme of a return to the strict principles of the compromise of 1867. In the elections of June 1910 this party secured an overwhelming ma jority, due largely to Tisza's own personal suggestion and unceas ing activity. In view of the obstruction of the extreme Left against the army legislation, Tisza, considering that the threat of complications in the Balkans made it essential not to weaken the Austro-Hungarian army, had himself elected president of the Lower House in 1912, introduced new standing orders, and forced the Army bill through, ejecting the opposition from the House. A member fired three times at Tisza, who remained calm in his chair. This scene made him very popular. He had to fight some duels with his adversaries, including one with Count Michael Karolyi, which left the two adversaries bitter enemies.
On June i s, 1913, Tisza was for the second time nominated prime minister. In his first memorandum on foreign policy, writ ten after the second Balkan War, he deplores the growth of Serbia and the collapse of Bulgaria, Turkey and later Greece. Rumania, where public opinion was growing hostile to the dual monarchy, should be assured its territorial integrity, but if it abandoned its alliance, Bulgaria should be brought to bear against it. War should be avoided. In home politics, Tisza was willing to favour such of the non-Hungarian nationalities as would sup port the State. He attempted to reach an understanding with the leaders of the Transylvanian Rumanians, but without success.
After the murder of the heir to the throne at Sarajevo, Tisza, in a letter to Francis Joseph (July 1) opposed Berchtold's sug gestion for a sudden attack on Serbia. A week later he again urged his view that diplomatic steps were necessary and a severe ulti matum should be sent, but its conditions should not be impos sible of acceptance. To avoid the intervention of the Entente, Tisza carried a motion in the council of ministers (July 19) that the integrity of Serbia's territory should be respected even if war was declared. Though the war against Serbia was declared, he
exerted himself for peace by accepting Sir Edward Grey's last proposal (July 31). Afterwards he was anxious to miss no oppor tunity of concluding peace. He was opposed to all German aspira tions of territorial aggrandizement and to the introduction of unlimited submarine warfare. He was a true partisan of German alliance, but he admitted no interference with Hungary's sover eign rights and was strongly opposed to the German idea of an economic "Mittel Europa." Tisza had many controversies with the Austrian Supreme Com mand and general staff. He was convinced that the fate of Hungary was bound up with that of the dual monarchy, but equally intent on preserving Hungary's predominance within the monarchy. It was for this reason that he opposed the plans of Conrad von Hotzendorf (q.v.) to annex further territory, and advocated moderate peace terms in Serbia and Belgium. He refused, however, to make any territorial concessions to Rumania, such as might have kept her from joining the war against the Central Powers. His influence was immense so long as Francis Joseph lived. It was he who forced Berchtold to leave the foreign ministry although he refused himself to become foreign minister.
King Charles, however, was under the influence of Tisza's Austrian and Hungarian enemies. Their rancour was fostered by the participation of Tisza, a Calvinist, with the primate of Hun gary in the act of coronation. The pretext for Tisza's dismissal in June 1917 was his refusal to grant the suffrage to soldiers at the front and his opposition to the demands of the Socialists.
The new cabinet had but a minority in parliament. Tisza, now chief of the opposition and in the majority, framed a resolution in which he affirmed the necessity of the German Alliance and pointed out the ambiguous behaviour of the Czechs in the Reichs rath. Finding his position difficult, he went to the front. In the Bukovina and in Italy he commanded a regiment with distinction. During this time his only political action was his mission to Croatia and Bosnia (Sept. 1918). Returning to Budapest, he declared (Oct. 17) "We have lost the war," and thus gave the signal for the collapse. He wanted a peace with honour, not a treacherous one. His last two weeks he spent in attempting to unite different parties; he was even ready to accept Karolyi's leadership in order to save the country and to procure a good peace. Too proud and too conscientious to allow the publication of his pacific endeavours, he was set as a mark for the defeatist soldiers and the mob. Though warned of his grave danger, he remained in Budapest, working until his last moment to unite the historical parties. He was killed by soldiers on Oct. 31, 1918, the first day of Count Karolyi's revolution. His last words were, "It had to be." letters June to end of Dec. 1914, pub. by the Hungarian academy). The first volume of the letters was translated into German by 0. von Wertheimer, Graf Stefen Tisza; Briefe (1928).