The “Bach regime” is maintained for a…

The “Bach regime” is maintained for a decade in Hungary, unrelaxed in principle although with some alterations in practice (named for Alexander Bach, Austrian minister of the interior).

Hungarian public opinion is divided over the country's relations with Austria.

Some Hungarians hold out hope for full separation from Austria; others want an accommodation with the Habsburgs, provided that they respect Hungary's constitution and laws.

The followers of the exiled Kossuth are irreconcilable, but many inside Hungary rally behind Ferencz Deak, who becomes the main advocate for accommodation.

Deak upholds the legality of the April Laws and argues that their amendment requires the Hungarian Diet's consent.

He also holds that the dethronement of the Habsburgs is invalid and that Hungary's right to complete internal independence is inalienable but that under the Pragmatic Sanction, which he accepts, foreign affairs and defense are subjects “common” to the two halves of the monarchy and that a mechanism can be devised for handling these affairs constitutionally.

As long as Austria rules absolutely, Deak argues, Hungarians should do no more than passively resist illegal demands.