"On Freedom" - Preface to J. Stuart Mill

We can learn about the young Kállay's system of ideas and values at that time from Kállay's preface to Mill On Freedom, which was published in 1867, the year of the Compromise, together with the translation.102 . Of particular interest to us is the remark denying that enlightened tyranny is permissible for the civilization of uneducated, barbaric peoples: I am even less able to share [Mill's view that uneducated barbaric peoples cannot regard their individual freedom, or even that every enlightened ruler with an educated soul may legitimately engage in coercive tyranny, if his purpose is none other than the civilization of that people. . However, the 1867 Compromise opened up new perspectives for Hungarian politics, and Kállay reacted very quickly to the new situation. This meant, among other things, that his views had changed significantly in this respect, and that he could even test out, in his capacity as governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, what it was like to civilize a people against his will. We cannot, therefore, say with absolute certainty that in the Preface he simply disagrees with Mill's efforts to improve society.104 It may be easy: there was no theoretical opposition at all to contradict Mill, but the recent experience of Habsburg neo-absolutism. Károly Dán.