Ausgleich The German term Ausgleich (Hungarian kiegyezés) refers to the "compromise" of February 1867 that established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was signed by Franz Joseph of Austria and a Hungarian delegation led by Ferenc Deák. The compromise followed a series of failed constitutional reforms of the Habsburg Empire. Under the new arrangement the Magyar dominated government of Hungary gained near equal status to the "Austrian" government based in Vienna. The compromise was made under dire circumstances by the monarchy in an attempt to quiet internal dissent in the face of perceived aggression from Prussia, as well as internal agitation by the various nationalities of the Empire. The former revolutionaries — German and Magyar — became de facto "peoples of state", each ruling half of a twin country united only at the top through the King-Emperor and the common Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of War. Each half of the country had its own Prime Minister and parliament: in Hungary the Diet was restored to power. The special status of Transylvania and the Military Border ended: a new Nationalities Law was intended to preserve the rights of Romanians and Serbs, but was often violated in practice. Many in the Austrian half of the monarchy (Cisleithania) resented the new influence of the Magyar government. It is true that the Magyar government refused to allow any form of internal reform, which most Austrian saw as necessary. In order to protect their new influence that Magyar leadership pursued a policy that disenfranchised most of the nationalities of the Empire. The Magyars also blocked financing to modernize the army, since they feared its use against them (the army was primarily controlled by Vienna). The resulting political deadlock may have resulted in the fateful decision by the Austrian leadership to attack Serbia in July of 1914. It was felt by some, notably Conrad von Hötzendorf, the Chief of the General Staff of the Habsburg Army, and foreign minister, Leopold von Berchtold, that the only way to reform Austria-Hungary was through the annexation of foreign territory and populations to help balance the power of the Magyars. The Dual Monarchy established by the Ausgleich lasted for 50 years after 1867, destroyed in 1918 by the fallout from World War I. Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausgleich