 | Vitafórum Új hozzászólás írása Elkerülendő, hogy gyáva senkiháziak más nevével visszaélve provokálják a fórum résztvevőit, minden hozzászóláshoz kiírásra kerül az elküldéskor használt gép címe. Így azonnal látható, ha valakinek a nevében a provokátor lázít! | Raszi, a Revizionista | 2000.09.30. 01:51:04 | Válasz erre | | | | TO ARTHUR:
A Contemporary Analysis of Trianon's Aftermath: Gyula Illyés' Spirit and Violence
"Trianon to us bears the meaning of a human slaughterhouse: it is there that every third Hungarian was crushed into subsistence under foreign rule; it is there that the territories of our native language were torn to pieces." The writer who uttered these words on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the concluding of the Trianon peace treaty has been called the Grand Old Man of Hungarian letters. He is also referred to sometimes as perhaps the last of the national poets-"national" in the sense that he has taken it upon himself to voice his people's, his nation's, vital concerns. The role of advocate, prophet, crusader, intellectual leader-while it usually took considerable courage to assume-became an honorable burden in a country which often faced domestic and foreign tyranny, enslavement, even virtual extinction during its thousand-year history. Hungarians are in a tragic situation: there are fifteen million Hungarians in the world, but only ten million live within the present borders of their country. The rest live beyond these borders, and many of them are deprived of the opportunity to maintain their language, and are being discriminated against in other ways as well. If we are not concerned with them, we commit not national treason, but ethical treason - treason against our brothers and sisters, against people. The largest national minority of Europe is Hungarian. According to factual, verifiable data this minority does not have universities or other higher educational institutions, and soon will not have high schools either where the language of instruction would be Hungarian. Their few remaining high schools are being turned into vocational-technical schools, where the language of instruction is the "official language", which is other than Hungarian. The result is that a minority youth can't learn a trade in his own language; therefore, he can't become a skilled worker or a machine operator. He can only aspire to unskilled day-laborers' jobs. In the Hungarian minorities' elementary schools the children have to learn lies in their own language about their ancestors who, their textbooks tell them, were barbarian invaders, inferior savages. Twenty percent of the Hungarian children do not learn the alphabet in their own language. This is partly because some parents do not want to send their children to Hungarian schools - who would not want to save his children from an almost apartheid way of life? If, after having received their diplomas, young Hungarian professionals still insist on using their mother tongue, they are often assigned to jobs far away from any Hungarian community. Many of the professionals who are assigned to work in Hungarian towns, on the other hand, are people who do not speak or understand the local population's language. Hungarian intellectuals are disappearing from entire regions. Every function of Hungarian culture, art, and education is discontinued in an increasing number of traditionally Hungarian towns and cities.
"We have certainly gone a little too far" (from the secret letter of General Condecourt).
June 4, 1920: This is one of the most decisive dates in the history of the Hungarian nation, on this day the "chopping off" of historical Hungary has become final, including the separation of huge and sometimes only exclusively Hungarian territories. With the promise of the revision of this pact (and with partial fulfillement thereof) was Hitler's Germany able to entice our country to the wrong side, giving the Soviet Union reason to invade: if we reflect on this we can see that our country has been as a result compelled to join the line of those tormented by the Communist dictatorship. With this pact, however they satisfied the expansion plans of the neighbouring countries as well as the economical interest of Western Europe. The only thing of no interest was the suffering of our countrymen from discrimination and hatred outside of the original borders while those within were burdened with the difficulties of trying to stay "afloat". To make maters worse this all happened to such a nation, this theatening of the sheer existence of a culture, that has so many times saved Western Europe and has served for the longest time as the protecting shield of the Christian world. Let's just think of the Hungary of the XIIIth century how they stuck to the throat of the rapidly expanding Tatar empire how most of the Hungarian nation had to perish before they could make the Asian barbars turn back. Or what would have happened if our country together with other nations of the Balkans did not organise the protection against the Turks and did not hinder them whenever they turned west? And what help did we get from the West for all this? Perhaps the bells tolling at noon! (To correct a common misconception the bells toll not for the victory of Nándorfehérvár in 1456 but it was reminding our neighbours equally threatened by the Turks yet unwilling to fight them - to pray). To top it all France has convinced "the wild nation of Osman" to invade our territory even more vehemently, with one of the most significant Italian state Venice assisting to deliver them through the Bosporus. When all this could have been corrected with whatever small support in our freedom fight of 1848-49 the West has not budged excusing themselves with keeping the economical and political balance of Europe. This balance was not at all important when with the Pact of Trianon they have plunged our country in the deep, and moreover after World War II we have been left as free prey for the Soviet union. Our plight continues to be unimportant even as our region endeavours to reach up to the West, while the Westen countries only look for excuses in order to maintain their economical superiority, when the main reasons for our staying behind has originally been the result of their cruelty culminating in that so called "peace treaty". With that they bankcrupted the lives of several millions just to prove that they, the victors have been stronger. Stronger than 10 millions Hungarians. Naturally nowadays we are neither able nor willing to change this, and we are aware that it would make no sence. Our aim is however to make more people acquinted with this historical fact, for we are convinced that it has not been emphasized enough. We as one of the few thinkers, making use of modern technology are here trying to awaken more and more of us and to show what really happened, how great an injustice was committed against a nation already downtrodden. For those wanting to go deeper we suggest The Secrets of Trianon by Ern? Raffay (Tornado Dannenija 1990) as well as The Hungary of Trianon 1918-1945 by Jen? Gergely and Pál Pritz (Vince 1998). From these two books we have also taken much information while producing this website. Besides we have made use of the following materials: Ferenc Glatz: Magyarok a Kárpát-medencében (Pallas Kiadó, 1989); Tibor Hetés: A magyarországi forradalmak krónikája 1918-1919 (Kossuth Kiadó, 1969); György Máté: "Vörös jelek a hadak útján" (Táncsics Kiadó, 1969); Tibor Hajdu: Március huszonegyedike (Kossuth Kiadó, 1979); N?k Lapja magazin "A mi XX. századunk" cikksorozatának "A második Mohács" cím? része (2000/15. szám).
Summary of events
The First World War has caused much hardship to the victimised Hungary and people lost trust in the political power of the time. Immediately after Prime Minister István Tisza's announcement of our having lost the war a number of politicans have moved to the opposition, into the camp of Mihály Károlyi who was against the war. This camp has taken over the power on October 30-31 1918 when after the victory of a civil demokratic revolution called "Mumms" the independent Hungarian Republic was pronounced and Károlyi's party has started directing. However noble their aims were they could not realise them at the given time and soon the socialdemocrates have taken the lead. With the arrivall of the decision of the Paris peace conference (Vix notes) demanding the withdrawal of Hungarian soldiers from large territories of our own, the governement abdicated. The new cabinet of exclusively socialdemocrates has not wasted time in coming to agreement with the formerly imprisoned communist to realise a proletarian dictatorship and so the Soviet Republic of Hungary was formed. The leadership of Béla Kun has as its first step refused the Vix-notes. This has meant an immediate new war against Romania and Tcheslovakia demanding significant territories. As a result of battles of alternating successes (being threatened by Antant) and foreign policy arguments - the roman army ignoring a previous agreement has occupied Budapest, vandalising the country. After the roman invasion of more than six months a National Army was formed in the background under the leadership of Miklós Horty. The Antant powers have from then on decided to play games with our country of 21 millions. Thus on June 4. 1920 the signed peace treaty of Trianon came to being (named after a palace near Paris). This pact has cut off two-thirds of Hungary without taking into consideration any ethnical distribution, in essence wanting to eradicate Hungarian economical resources and assuring bigger powers for Westen Europe. This historical sketch is only aiming at assisting easier understanding of the events and their connections. If you are interested in the total picture we suggest to read the rest of this website.
The Peace Pact of Trianon
"I am completly unprotected and incapable against the work of the enemy" (from Apponyi Albert, leader of the Hungarian peace delegation).
The peace pact was signed on June 4, 1920 in the palace of Trianon belonging to the castles of Versailles (the exact location being the hallway between Little and Big Trianon). The territory of the country has been compressed from 282000 km2 to 93000 km2 meaning that exactly 2/3 of it was lost. The population of 18 millions went to 7.6 millions. (Compare this to "only" 13% of territory in Germany and 10% of population, to 8% territory of Bulgaria with the loss of corresponding population, or in Turkey where only parts with no Turkish population were lost.) With this partition in Romania more than 1.6 millions Hungarians, cca. 1 million in Tzechslovakia and close to half million in Yugoslavia were cut off. (Must mention that Hungary while winning in the war, never wanted to invade. Our country was ready to occupy only a minimal part of Romania or Serbia. This is proven by peace treaty plans of the time demonstrating justifiable demands.) These facts clearly show that the Antant's efforts to create nation states were only excuses to anihilate Hungary economicaly and to comply with expansion demands of Tzechslovakia and Yugoslavia, for all of these countries now became multinational. It is a mistake to think that during the conference the Hungarians were listened to as it is due to intelligent partners. The delegation lead by Apponyi, Bethlen and Teleki wanted to propose a referendum to decide the fate of the territories in question, in view of the theory of selfdetermination suggested by American President Wilson. It would be sheer illusion to suppose that anything guaranteed in the US could work have in the Carpathian Basin, but it was felt that something should be done in the interest of the completely victimised Hungarian. To the actual dispute of the peace conference Hungary was not even invited, the participiants especially the "great 4": the French Georges Clemenceau, the British David Lloyd George, the Italian Vittorio Orlando and the American Thomas Wilson together with the delegates of Romania, Tzehslovakia, Poland and Serbo-Chroat-Sloven Monarchy (later Yugoslavia) as well as Greece had brought down their decision without us. This document seriously affecting our history of the XX. century was finally ratified by the Minister of National Wellfare Ágost Benárd and Ambassador Alfréd Drasche Lázár. Report of the Hungarian News Agency: "In the churches of Budapest all the bells tolled, factories sounded their sirenes this morning, announcing the painful ____ of a nation in an autumn-like saol weather, it was today at 4:30 in the afternoon that the peace pact was signed in Trianon by the authorities. Today therefore we have lost our brilliant Hungarian cities, treaswed Kolozsvár, Kassa of the Rákóczies, coronating Pozsony, the dilligent Temesvár, Arad the city of martyrs and all the others our dearest grown-up children, beautiful Hungarian centres. On this day many millions of faithful Hungarians of our own blood have become homeless. The rulers of the world today feel satisfied to have finished a job, their victim lying in blood, mutilated ready to be covered by a shroud. Yet our fate is not completed. We are groaning under the weight of the strikes and our soul is crying from the pain. But like God's judgement sending storms to clear the air, we are beeing cleansed by the suffering and sthrengthened by ____. In this horrible hour of tragedy we conceive the great determination to stay alive against all odds and to regain some day with honest dilligence, stubhorn offerts and saint everything that was ____ taken away ____. The single "positive" point of the peace pact has been the legal restoration of our independence lacking for centuries. However, the Antant carefully watched not to allow too much freedom putting the country on a tight reign. The army was also under control, the staff having been limited to 35 thousand, making it impossible to halt any outside attack (compared to the Romanian Army of 280 thousand, to a Yugoslave force of 185 thousand and to the Tzechslovak troops numbering 162 thousand.) The armed section of the Danube Fleet was called back and no airforce was possible. One of the worst consequences of the pact was that it broke off the close knit economical unity of the Monarchy, not providing any chances of cooperation. This caused the main shortfall of the economy in the region. (That of course was beneficial to the great powers naturally.) The contract compelled each new state to insure equal rights for all minorities in every aspect of their culture and language but without guaranties so these have never materialized. In most places the Hungarian ethnics (even majorities) live in deprived conditions among continuous atrocities where the state does nothing to help them (or if they do, it is even more like genocide). In the pact Hungary had to commit herself never to give up here independence as state. This was not to guard against power efforts of the region. It was more due to the fact that with the "dismenberment" the value of independence has been lost to the extent that the publice was ready to opt for a new monarchy-like union. Both these people as well as those who valued independence more were later great supporters of all foreign policy efforts aiming for territorial revisions. The Hungarian peace delegation returned to Budapest on January 1921. Count Apponyi Albert (having held a two hours speech in French, English and Italian before the signing of the contract underlining the fact that the historical unity of our country can only be demolished against justice and prudence) has talked to reporters as follows: "I still insist that the new states raised from the ruins of Hungary will be stillborn, as they are not based on any leading principles. I doubt the reason to experiment with such unfit formations bringing about huge cultural shortfalls. Perhaps these arguments will effect our adverseries. However I have no positive proof of that. Should we confere with our enemies directly in similar conditions the above would be easier. As it happened I had the chance to explain my stand in 90 minutes and right away in the next half our exclusively and only the enemy's standpoint prevailed, so it would be foolish to think that my arguments could be effective against the enemy, whose counter activity restarting made me completely unprotected and incapable". The folloving is from a secret letter of General Condecourt: "At the peace conference we went the wrong way. We had to be blind to think that we can enforce such dismemberment on Hungary without throwing them into despair. Besides Romania and Serbia did not merit the fulfillment of such overambitions. It will surely be difficult for a country to surive without coal and mines, forests or industries. We have certainly gone a little too far."
Certainly. Attila Rostás and Semperger Zsolt students of Bethlen Gábor Reformed Secondary School of Hódmez?vásárhely(Előzmény: Arthur Lloyd-Smith - Oxford, 2000.09.30. 01:48:52) |
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