Gyula Károlyi
Encyclopedia
Gyula Count Károlyi de Nagykároly (7 May 1871, Baktalórántháza
- 23 April 1947) was a conservative Hungarian
politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1931 to 1932. He had previously been Prime Minister of the counter-revolutionary government in Szeged
for several months in 1919. As Prime Minister, he generally tried to continue the moderate conservative policies of his predecessor, István Bethlen
, although with less success.
(now: Baktalórántháza) to an old aristocrat
family. His parents were Count Tibor Károlyi, who served as Speaker of the House of Magnates from 1898 to 1900 and Countess Emma Degenfeld-Schomburg.
After the grammar school
studies he attended Faculty of Law of the University of Budapest
. Then he learnt in the University of Berlin and the University of Bonn
. After the returning to home, he joined to the Hungarian politics as member of the House of Magnates. He served as ispan of Arad County between 1906 and 1910. Following this he retired from the politics and started farming on the huge family possession in Arad County. He became member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1915.
as a hussar lieutenant. After the war he returned to his possessions. But the country's situation was chaotic: his cousin, Mihály Károlyi
led the Aster Revolution
and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy collapsed. The new leadership decreased the Hungarian Army's staff numbers to indicate his peaceful intention towards the Entente Powers. The adjacent countries (Romania
, Czechoslovakia
) took advantage of this to get even more areas. The Romanians occupied Transylvania
and the Partium
on Spring 1919. In addition the Hungarian Soviet Republic
established on 21 March 1919.
Many considerable Hungarian politicians emigrated to Vienna
because of the revolutions and terrors. The organization began with István Bethlen
's leadership onto the liquidation of the Bolshevik power (Antibolsevist Comite). In parallel with this Gyula Károlyi formed a counter-revolutionary government in Arad
. On May the Romanians occupied the town and they interned Károlyi and many of his ministers. After his release went to Szeged
, which was controlled by the French Army
. Károlyi reorganized his government here against the communist rule. The two counter-revolutionary centres (Vienna and Szeged) harmonized their work in the interest of the common aims. Károlyi's Minister of War was Admiral Miklós Horthy. Horthy set up the National Army. The two politicians' friendship was beginning at this time.
the family lost his possessions of Arad County. Károlyi farmed in Szabolcs County and Szatmár County. He became member of the House of Magnates in 1927. He got a title of Crown Guard in 1928. He undertook a bigger role in the politics due to the Great Depression
. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs for a short time in cabinet of István Bethlen, following Lajos Walko
. In this quality of his Károlyi visited Benito Mussolini
in Rome
on March 1931. He had also a debated statement: "the emotions, the reason, and the threads of the interest bind Hungary
to France
". His statement gave rise to an appearance in the French press.
István Bethlen resigned from his position on 19 August 1931, because he did not want to bring unpopular measures. Regent Miklós Horthy
appointed Károlyi to this post. The new cabinet established on 24 August 1931. The ministerial combination did not change very much.
In Hungary the economic catastrophe presented himself as protracted agrarian and credit crisis. The agricultural products meant the big part of the Hungarian exports, but these price attained the 50-70 % contour flying on the World Market. So the local agriculture
and peasant
s' situation became horrible, but the industry
and trade
also suffered from the effects of the crisis.
Károlyi wanted to reduce the state expenses with a large-scale economical program. The Ministry of Finance reduced the state employees' payment (etc. railwaymen, postmen
, clerks
, the army, gendarmerie
, the river forces and the customs
). They tightened the social benefits and the pension
s were moderated. However this was not a solution onto the serious economic problems. It did not help a lot, that Károlyi spared himself and his minister colleagues, and revoked the right of the usage of the state cars. This meant it that he - as Prime Minister - had to go to work from his apartment of Pest to the Buda Castle
.
Szilveszter Matuska blew up a portion of the Biatorbágy
bridge near Budapest
, causing the engine and nine of the eleven coaches forming the Vienna Express to plunge into a ravine 30 meters deep on 13 September 1931. Gyula Károlyi ordered the martial law in two of his orders. He made use of this tragedy for the communists' imprisonment. He banned all political-like rallies and processions. The organizing communist movement
's leaders, Imre Sallai and Sándor Fürst were captured and arrested. They were executed in 1932 after a show trial
. The emergency did not improve the situation however, there was not a mass movement like that beside the one that may have reported a real threat with regard to the existing system.
The Prime Minister's restrictive measures were not able to relieve the crisis. The discontent intensified inside the society
's and the political elite's groves. The opposition demanded the franchise
s' extension, the primary and secret suffrage
's introduction and more effective protection of the people who live from the wage
. While the agrarian lobby demanded the market's extension and the hosts' protection for the decreasing of the agrarian crisis. This group turned against the Prime Minister after actual results did not emerge here.
Bethlen called on Károlyi to resign after he saw that Károlyi's governance failed on September 1932. He employed this advice gladly, because he already took the position hesitantly at the time of the beginnings. Károlyi resigned on 21 September 1932 and returned to his possessions. He was succeeded by Gyula Gömbös
.
. Károlyi died in Budapest at the age of 75.
Baktalórántháza
Baktalórántháza is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 4,295 people .-History:...
- 23 April 1947) was a conservative Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1931 to 1932. He had previously been Prime Minister of the counter-revolutionary government in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
for several months in 1919. As Prime Minister, he generally tried to continue the moderate conservative policies of his predecessor, István Bethlen
István Bethlen
Count István Bethlen de Bethlen was a Hungarian aristocrat and statesman and served as Prime Minister from 1921 to 1931....
, although with less success.
Early life
He was born in NyírbaktaBaktalórántháza
Baktalórántháza is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 4,295 people .-History:...
(now: Baktalórántháza) to an old aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
family. His parents were Count Tibor Károlyi, who served as Speaker of the House of Magnates from 1898 to 1900 and Countess Emma Degenfeld-Schomburg.
After the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
studies he attended Faculty of Law of the University of Budapest
University of Budapest
The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...
. Then he learnt in the University of Berlin and the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
. After the returning to home, he joined to the Hungarian politics as member of the House of Magnates. He served as ispan of Arad County between 1906 and 1910. Following this he retired from the politics and started farming on the huge family possession in Arad County. He became member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1915.
Counter-revolutionary Government
After the broke out of the First World War he enrolled to train as a volunteer and fought in the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
as a hussar lieutenant. After the war he returned to his possessions. But the country's situation was chaotic: his cousin, Mihály Károlyi
Mihály Károlyi
Count Mihály Ádám György Miklós Károlyi de Nagykároly was briefly Hungary's leader in 1918-19 during a short-lived democracy...
led the Aster Revolution
Aster Revolution
The Aster Revolution or Chrysanthemum Revolution was a revolution in Hungary led by leftist liberal count Mihály Károlyi, who founded the Hungarian Democratic Republic....
and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy collapsed. The new leadership decreased the Hungarian Army's staff numbers to indicate his peaceful intention towards the Entente Powers. The adjacent countries (Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
) took advantage of this to get even more areas. The Romanians occupied Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
and the Partium
Partium
Partium or Részek is the name given in Hungarian to the region located to the north and west of Transylvania.-Origin of the name:...
on Spring 1919. In addition the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
established on 21 March 1919.
Many considerable Hungarian politicians emigrated to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
because of the revolutions and terrors. The organization began with István Bethlen
István Bethlen
Count István Bethlen de Bethlen was a Hungarian aristocrat and statesman and served as Prime Minister from 1921 to 1931....
's leadership onto the liquidation of the Bolshevik power (Antibolsevist Comite). In parallel with this Gyula Károlyi formed a counter-revolutionary government in Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
. On May the Romanians occupied the town and they interned Károlyi and many of his ministers. After his release went to Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, which was controlled by the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. Károlyi reorganized his government here against the communist rule. The two counter-revolutionary centres (Vienna and Szeged) harmonized their work in the interest of the common aims. Károlyi's Minister of War was Admiral Miklós Horthy. Horthy set up the National Army. The two politicians' friendship was beginning at this time.
Prime Minister of Hungary
Károlyi retired from the politics for nearly ten years after 1919. After the Treaty of TrianonTreaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
the family lost his possessions of Arad County. Károlyi farmed in Szabolcs County and Szatmár County. He became member of the House of Magnates in 1927. He got a title of Crown Guard in 1928. He undertook a bigger role in the politics due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs for a short time in cabinet of István Bethlen, following Lajos Walko
Lajos Walko
Lajos Walko was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1925 and 1930. Around half year ago he was also appointed to this position. He worked for the Ministry of Finance. He served as interim Minister of Finance twice and Minister of Trade...
. In this quality of his Károlyi visited Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on March 1931. He had also a debated statement: "the emotions, the reason, and the threads of the interest bind Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
". His statement gave rise to an appearance in the French press.
István Bethlen resigned from his position on 19 August 1931, because he did not want to bring unpopular measures. Regent Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
appointed Károlyi to this post. The new cabinet established on 24 August 1931. The ministerial combination did not change very much.
In Hungary the economic catastrophe presented himself as protracted agrarian and credit crisis. The agricultural products meant the big part of the Hungarian exports, but these price attained the 50-70 % contour flying on the World Market. So the local agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s' situation became horrible, but the industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
and trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
also suffered from the effects of the crisis.
Károlyi wanted to reduce the state expenses with a large-scale economical program. The Ministry of Finance reduced the state employees' payment (etc. railwaymen, postmen
Postmen
Postmen was a reggae/hip hop band from the Netherlands. After their split up, former member The Anonymous Mis continued as Postman.The group was founded by The Anonymous Mis and G-Boah in 1993. They were influenced by Kool G Rap, Eric B & Rakim, Burning Spear and Bob Marley...
, clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
, the army, gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, the river forces and the customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
). They tightened the social benefits and the pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s were moderated. However this was not a solution onto the serious economic problems. It did not help a lot, that Károlyi spared himself and his minister colleagues, and revoked the right of the usage of the state cars. This meant it that he - as Prime Minister - had to go to work from his apartment of Pest to the Buda Castle
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
.
Szilveszter Matuska blew up a portion of the Biatorbágy
Biatorbágy
Biatorbágy is a town in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It has a population of 10,720 .On 13 September 1931 a demented man blasted the train to Vienna on the viaduct of Biatorbágy. Prime minister Gyula Károlyi inducted martial law, and executed two illegal communist...
bridge near Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, causing the engine and nine of the eleven coaches forming the Vienna Express to plunge into a ravine 30 meters deep on 13 September 1931. Gyula Károlyi ordered the martial law in two of his orders. He made use of this tragedy for the communists' imprisonment. He banned all political-like rallies and processions. The organizing communist movement
Communist Movement
Communist Movement was a political party in Spain...
's leaders, Imre Sallai and Sándor Fürst were captured and arrested. They were executed in 1932 after a show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
. The emergency did not improve the situation however, there was not a mass movement like that beside the one that may have reported a real threat with regard to the existing system.
The Prime Minister's restrictive measures were not able to relieve the crisis. The discontent intensified inside the society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
's and the political elite's groves. The opposition demanded the franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
s' extension, the primary and secret suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
's introduction and more effective protection of the people who live from the wage
Wage
A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
. While the agrarian lobby demanded the market's extension and the hosts' protection for the decreasing of the agrarian crisis. This group turned against the Prime Minister after actual results did not emerge here.
Bethlen called on Károlyi to resign after he saw that Károlyi's governance failed on September 1932. He employed this advice gladly, because he already took the position hesitantly at the time of the beginnings. Károlyi resigned on 21 September 1932 and returned to his possessions. He was succeeded by Gyula Gömbös
Gyula Gömbös
Gyula Gömbös de Jákfa was the conservative prime minister of Hungary from 1932 to 1936.-Background:Gömbös was born in the Tolna County village of Murga, Hungary, which had a mixed Hungarian and ethnic German population. His father was the village schoolmaster. The family belonged to the ...
.
Later life
After his prime ministership he retired from the active politics. He was member of the Regent's inner advisor council. Horthy appointed him secret advisor in 1936. During the Second World War he supported the politics of Miklós KállayMiklós Kállay
Dr. Miklós Kállay de Nagykálló was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during World War II, from 9 March 1942 to 19 March 1944....
. Károlyi died in Budapest at the age of 75.