After the victory of Prussia there was no office for Beust in an emerging Lesser Germany, and his public career seemed to be closed, but he quite unexpectedly received an invitation from Franz Joseph to become his foreign minister. It was a bold decision, for Beust was not only a stranger to Austria, but also a Protestant. He threw himself into his new position with great energy. Despite the opposition of the Slavs who foresaw that "dualism would lead Austria to downfall, negotiations with Hungary were resumed and rapidly concluded by Beust.