HUNGARY AND THE WAR. It is too early yet to weigh — with even approximate ac curacy — the influence and responsibility of Hungary in provoking the war and abetting the designs of Austria and Germany. Two cir cumstances, however, seem to be clearly re vealed: Whereas Austria was drawn or pushed into the war without the consent of Parliament or people, in Hungary, on the other hand, the war was popularly declared — by Magyars to be a Hungarian war, and the fact, that it had spread to such gigantic proportions was re garded with rather a feeling of national pride. Vienna, during the first months of the conflict, was apathetic and anxious; Budapest was en thusiastic and confidently jubilant. The long tradition of Austria's "facility for weighed heavily upon her people; neither doubt nor misgiving clouded the Hungarian vision. The one-sided Dual Compromise of 1867 had invested Hungary — or rather the Magyar gen try— with two-thirds of the power in the mon archy and left Austria with the burden of de fraying two-thirds of the costs. Though the foreign relations of the empire were exclusively in the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Minister in the Reichsrath in Vienna, his policy not in frequently was dictated from Budapest or Ber lin. (See AEHRENTHAL ; BERCH TOLD). Nearly every important official in the Foreign Office is a Hungarian. Vienna was nominally the capi tal of the empire, but Hungary was practically an independent country in which the ruling classes, as we have already pointed out, stood in the minority. Yet it would have been no very difficult task for the Magyars, by genuine constitutional government and a policy of con ciliation, to build up a powerful and united state. The Slav races under their control would have' accepted Magyar leadership the more willingly as they themselves had formerly been oppressed by Austria as severely as the Magyars had been. The few prominent Hun garian statesmen, such as Deak and Eotvos, who had endeavored in the past to secure po litical justice for the non-Magyars were over ruled. Since 1875 the "Magyar State) idea de veloped into a ruthless policy of "Magyariza tion,) in pursuance of which coercive measures were employed to crush out the national senti ments and languages of the greater part of the population. Newspapers and banks fell into the
hands of Magynrized Jews who became the most ardent promoters of the cause. All non Hungarian place-names and, by persuasion, the surnames of prominent persons underwent the process. Thus, Pressburg became Pozsony; Vienna, Bees (batch); Klausenburg, Kolozs; Hermannstadt, Szeben. The real name of Mun kicsy the painter was Lieb; that of Vambery, Bamberger; Toldi the author was originally Schebel; Petofi the poet was a Slav, Petro vitch; Koml6ssy was Kleinkind, and the eth nologist Hunfalvy was Hundsdorfer, etc. Let ters from Austria bearing German place-names were returned not known,' though every child in the town knew the two names. Austrian postal authorities retaliated by returning letters addressed (Vienna) with the.inscription, "place not The inevitable conse quences of the Magyarization policy was that the Croats, Serbs and Dalmatians looked toward Serbia for deliverance; Rumanes turned their hopes to Rumania, Ruthenes to Russia and the Slovaks to their kinsmen of Bohemia and Mo ravia. The races of Austria were free to use their national languages, and since 1907 enjoyed universal suffrage. Under Hungarian domin ion the Magyar language alone was recognized, while the constitutional suffrage became a dead letter. (See Government). Koloman Tisza (1830-1902) inaugurated and pursued the Mag yarization policy during his 15 years of the pre miership; it was continued by his son Stephen (Count) Tisza, who became the most dominant personality in the empire. He was murdered a few days before the end of the war, in the progress of which he, and not the Austrian Foreign Minister, attended the German war councils. His policy bore retributive fruit early in the war in the defection of Austro-Hungarian Slav regiments. It brought about the Czech°. Slovak and Iugoslav risings, their fighting on the Allied side, their eventual recognition as belligerents and independent states by the Al lies, and, finally, the collapse of the empire fol lowed shortly after by the surrender of Ger many. See AUSTRIA; CROATIA-SLAVONIA; CZECHO-SLOVAICS ; JUGOSLAVS ; SLAVS ; TISZA ; TRANSYLVANIA ; WAR, EUROPEAN.