Aster Revolution

The Aster Revolution or Chrysanthemum Revolution ( hu, Őszirózsás forradalom) was a revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi in the aftermath of World War I which resulted in the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian People's Republic.

The revolution was brought about by widespread protests as World War I wore on, from which Mihály Károlyi emerged as the leader of the newly proclaimed First Hungarian People's Republic that reigned between 16 November 1918 and 21 March 1919. During this period of time, he served as Prime Minister between 1 and 16 November 1918 and as President between 16 November 1918 and 21 March 1919. The supporters of Károlyi that consisted of citizens and demobilized soldiers adopted aster as the symbol of the revolution, viz., they stuck asters (''őszirózsa'': literally autumn = ''ősz'' and rose = ''rózsa'') in their hats and caps in the streets of Budapest to symbolize their support for the social democratic Hungarian National Council (HNC) and Count Károlyi. After the victory of the revolution, Hungary declared its independence and, as a result, Austria-Hungary dissolved.

Events

On the evening of 23 October, 1918, the Hungarian National Council was established and subsequently various committees were formed, namely the committee of the armed forces, the committee of workers, and the committee of students. Mihály Károlyi promoted Imre Csernyák to chairman of the committee of the armed forces to seize power on 27 October, 1918. However, in the wake of World War I that resulted in the defeat of the Central Powers of which Austria-Hungary was a member; protests erupted in the streets of Budapest that culminated in the battle of the Chain Bridge on 28 October, 1918 during which the police intervened by force. On the Pest side of the bridge, they fired a volley at the protesting crowd that left 5 dead and many injured. Károlyi had helped establish the Hungarian National Council which demanded the secession of Hungary from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the early morning hours of 31 October 1918, with support of the soldiers from the Hungarian Army, HNC protesters wearing asters helped seize public buildings throughout Budapest. Prime Minister Sándor Wekerle resigned and former Prime Minister István Tisza was murdered.

By the end of the day, King Charles IV was forced to accept the coup and Károlyi became Hungary's new Prime Minister. Károlyi then terminated the Compromise of 1867, thus formally dissolving the Austro-Hungarian union. On 13 November, Charles issued a proclamation recognizing Hungary's right to determine the form of the state and withdrawing from Hungarian affairs of state. Károlyi's provisional government proclaimed the Hungarian People's Republic on 16 November 1918, with Károlyi named as provisional president.

The Hungarian Royal Honvéd army still had more than 1,400,000 soldiers when Mihály Károlyi was announced as prime minister of Hungary. Károlyi yielded to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's demand for pacifism by ordering the disarmament of the Hungarian army. This happened under the direction of Béla Linder, minister of war in the Károlyi government.Dixon J. C
''Defeat and Disarmament, Allied Diplomacy and Politics of Military Affairs in Austria, 1918–1922''
Associated University Presses 1986. p. 34.Sharp A
''The Versailles Settlement: Peacemaking after the First World War, 1919–1923''
Palgrave Macmillan 2008. p. 156. . Due to the full disarmament of its army, Hungary was to remain without a national defence at a time of particular vulnerability. The Hungarian self-disarmament made the occupation of Hungary directly possible for the relatively small armies of Romania, the Franco-Serbian army and the armed forces of the newly established Czechoslovakia. During the rule of Károlyi's pacifist cabinet, Hungary rapidly lost control over approx. 75% of its former pre-WW1 territories (325 411 km²) without armed resistance and was subject to foreign occupation.

In March 1919, the republic was itself overthrown by a Communist putsch, which established the Hungarian Soviet Republic. Soviet Hungary soon collapsed due to internal discontent and a Romanian invasion and, after a brief revival of the People's Republic, the monarchy was restored, now as an independent country.

History

Timeline

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See also

*Carnation Revolution

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aster Revolution
20th-century revolutions
Revolutions in Hungary
1918 in Hungary
Conflicts in 1918
History of Austria-Hungary
Aftermath of World War I in Hungary
Revolutions of 1917–1923
Subsidiary conflicts of World War I