Why did Lajos Kossuth oppose the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867?

Lajos Kossuth opposed the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 because he remained unalterably attached to the cause of complete Hungarian independence, a goal he had championed since the Revolution of 1848.12

While many in Hungary, led by Ferenc Deák, sought reconciliation with the Austrian monarchy through a constitutional arrangement, Kossuth viewed such a compromise as a betrayal of the principles for which he had fought. He believed that the agreement—which maintained a unified state for foreign affairs and defense—denied Hungary the full sovereignty he deemed essential.123

On the eve of the Compromise, Kossuth published an open letter, known as the "Cassandra letter," in which he denounced the measure and its authors, warning of the negative consequences for the nation. Throughout his exile, he remained a symbol of the aspiration for total independence, rejecting the path of integration within the Dual Monarchy that the Compromise established.1