HUNGARY INTRODUCTION GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION THE CAPITAL GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS The Hungarian Great Plain The Western Lowlands The West Hungarian Border Region The Transdanubian Hills The Transdanubian Mid-Mountains Lake Balaton The Northern Mountains HISTORY                        Settling in the Carpathian Basin Árpád 'From the arrows of Magyars, Lord, deliver us!' King Stephan I. Some Highlights The Hungarian National Symbols The 1848-49 Hungarian War of Independence Lajos Kossuth Kossuth in America 1849-1956 October 23, 1956 The 'jolliest barrack' and the '80s The change of regime, 1989 CONTEMPORARY HUNGARY INTRODUCTION   ... and now, you may hear about the country herself. In the next hour, as my fragile English allows me, I would like to give you a short review on her location, history and contemporary political life. Lacking of time, the goal of this presentation (unfortunately) can not be to give you an all-embracing picture of Hungary, but it might be able to give you a faint idea of what is and what has been  going on there... I said 'there'. Where is that 'there'? We could start right with the location.  back GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION   Hungary, located in the center of Europe in the Carpathian Basin, is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, the Alps and the Dinaric Alps. It is situated approx. between the northern latitude of 45 degree and the eastern longitude of 22 degree. The country covers an area of 93,030 square kilometers, one percent of the whole territory of Europe. (Yes, we do kilometers at home, this way everything seems a bit bigger...) It is slightly smaller than Indiana. The country is landlocked. (I must mention though, that in the times of Louis I , who later came to be called 'the Great' (14th century), due to his wars of conquest and lucky legacies, the country was so extensive that her shores were washed by four seas. Then it kind of shrank in the washing, as we can see it today.)   We share borders with Slovakia(or as we put it: SZLOVÁKIA), Ukraine (UKRAJNA), Romania (ROMÁNIA), Yugoslavia (JUGOSZLÁVIA), Croatia (HORVÁTHORSZÁG, Slovenia (SZLOVÉNIA) and Austria.  The Hungarian language is Finno-Ugoric and has no relation to any of the Indo-European or Slavic or Romanian tongues.  ...now let us here about what places are worth going to in Hungary . Anywhere, of course, but let us just take it by turns. We could start out with the capital, to where all of you have already been ... back THE CAPITAL Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is situated at the meeting point of several major geographical sectors. It was founded as a city only after the unification of three towns - Pest, Buda, and Óbuda - in 1873. One-fifth of the countries population - about 1.9 million people - live in Budapest. From every point of view the capital is Hungary's number one political, administrative, cultural, industrial and services center. The capital lies along the banks of the Danube river. Of its 23 districts, 17 are on the Pest side and six on the Buda side, while one is situated on Csepel Island, which is surrounded by the two branches of the Danube. The Buda side is built largely upon hills, the highest being János Hill, at 529 meter (1600 feet) while the Pest side is a flat plain. The two sides are linked by nine bridges, seven for the roads and two for the railways.  Due to its geographical position, Budapest's central role in domestic and international transport  and communications are obvious. The country's nine railway lines and seven out of the eight highways originate here. Mass transport is facilitated by three metro lines. The first line (the 'kis sárga') - the second in Europe to open after the London underground - became operational in 1896. Due to its central location, Budapest has also taken a lead in industrial development, and despite the decentralization efforts of past decades, at least 16 percent of the country's working population are residents of Budapest. Quite unique to other capitals of the world, Budapest is also a spa city. As early as Roman times it had utilized perhaps the most valuable of its natural resources, namely the large number of hot springs of between 24 and 78 degrees Celsius; these thermal waters offer a curative effect for locomotor, articular, circulatory, and digestive problems.    back GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS Hungary has six major geographical regions, which are generally divided into 35 so-called medium-size regions and 220 small regions. These include The Hungarian Great Plain (Alföld); the Western Lowlands (Kisalföld), the Transdanubian Hills (Dunántúli-dombság), the Transdanubian Mid-Mountains (Dunántúli-középhegység) - these are commonly known as Transdanubia; the West Hungarian Border Region at the foot of the Alps (Nyugat-Magyarországi peremvidék or Alpokalja); and the Northern Mountains. back The Hungarian Great Plain This flatland, situated in the middle of the Carpathian Basin, is the country's largest geographical region (52,000 square kilometers), representing more than half of Hungary's total territory. The characteristically Hungarian scenery found here is almost perfectly flat land, its average height above sea level is 108.5 meters (330 feet), while in the interior it does not reach more than 200 meters (600 feet). Traditionally, the Hungarian Plain has been divided into three part; that to the west, situated along the right bank of the Danube, is called the Mezőföld region and lies within the Budapest-Balaton-Szekszárd triangle; in the middle there is the area between the Danube and Tisza rivers; and the eastern part, is called the Tiszántúl, the region east of the Tisza River. The Mezőföld is characterized by the rich siltiness of loess, while the region between the Danube and the Tisza rivers is characterized by varying areas of sand and loess; Kecskemét sits in the center of this region.  The overwhelming part of Tiszántúl is continuous flatland almost table-top smooth, while its monotony is broken here and there by the sandy dunes of the northern part of the Nyírség region.  The center of the northeastern part of the Great Plains is the city of Debrecen, together with the nearby Hortobágy, while that in the south is the city of Szeged. Debrecen is the second most populous city of Hungary. Playing a major role in the Hungarian Reformation of the  Catholic Church, in the 16th century it became called the Calvinist Rome. The symbol of the city is the country's biggest Calvinist church with its 3000 seats, built in classicistic style. It has been a student town since the Middle Ages. Szeged, the city of sunshine (gets the biggest amount of sunshine among all the big cities of Hungary), after the 1879 Flood was rebuilt with international collaboration in eclectic and secessionistic style. Szeged is also famous for its paprika and Pick-szalámi. back The Western Lowlands The so-called Little Plain (Kisalföld) in northwestern Hungary is the second largest flatland in the country. It centers on the Győr Basin, and features the Szigetköz region to the north, formed from the sediments of the Danube river and situated between the Old Danube and its tributary, the Moson Danube. This represents Hungary's second largest drinking water basin, holding 10 billion cubic meters. Szigeköz is known for its outstanding arable lands, an in addition to grains, various high-yielding industrial crops and vegetables are grown here. The tip of Lake Fertő, marshy, reedy, region, is situated in the western part of the region. Hanság, which once was the country's largest marshland, is situated east of the lake. Artifical drainage of the area began in the 19th century. The center of this important industrial and agricultural region is the city of Győr, an international road and railway junction at the meeting point of the Moson Danube as well as the Rába and Rábca rivers. Its also called the city of rivers. As Arrabona, it had already been founded in the Roman Ages.  The near-by town, Pannonhalma, has the country's most ancient building, the Benedictine Prelacy, built around 1000 A.D. back The West Hungarian Border Region Situated along the border with Austria, southwest of Western Lowlands, the border region of western Hungary is a unique geographical sector that includes the foothills of the Alps, called the Sopron and Kőszeg Mountains. The cities after which these mountains were named - Sopron and Kőszeg - are in fact ancient settlements with rich cultural backgrounds.  Sopron, called Scarbantia in the Roman Ages, is surrounded by a famous wine-making region, with sulphuric springs in the vicinity.  Kőszeg is known chiefly as a fresh-air holiday resort. Domestic chest-nut trees are also grown in the surroundings. The smaller regions are characterized by fodder production, rotational grazing, and cattle breeding. Ják, famous for its beautiful church, built in the 13th century in Romanic-style, is also in this region. The most important intellectual center in the region is Szombathely.   back The Transdanubian Hills This region is situated in the southern part of Transdanubia, stretching from the Zala River-Lake Balaton line down to the Dráva River, and is comprised of the Zala Hills, the inner and outer Somogy, the Baranya Hills, the Tolna Hills, and the Mecsek and Villány Mountains. The Transdanubian Hills are characterized by varied hillside forms as well as valleys and marshes, with large forests. There are no major rivers apart from the Dráva, however, there are many springs, streams, and forests, mostly of beech and oak. Evergreens grow along the southern slope of the Mecsek and Villány Mountains. The Szekszárd and Villány wine regions are particularly known for their red wines. The regions most important city is Pécs, Sopianae in the Roman Ages, the intellectual and cultural center of Transdanubia. Episcopal residence from 1009 A.D. Also famous for its basilica, built in the 11th century. Has the monuments of the 150 year Turkish reign. Nagykanizsa, Szekszárd, and Kaposvár are the county seats. The thermal lake of Heviz, near Lake Balaton is one of Europe's best known. Lately, Zalakaros has gained popularity as spa resort. Another famous spa is Harkány, situated at the foot of the Villány Mountains.   back The Transdanubian Mid-Mountains The Transdanubian Mid-Mountains stretches to a length of nearly 200 kilometers from the northern shore of Lake Balaton to the Danube. Its parts include: the Bakony, the Vértes and the Velence Hills, the Gerecse, the Buda Hills, and the Pilis. The lime and dolomite mountains are of a special composition formed by sea sediments, rich in mineral resources such as brown coal, bauxite, and manganese.  Famous vineyards now mark the one-time southern forest regions of the Transdanubian Mid-Mountains. The Badacsony, Balaton Heights, and Mór wine regions are internationally well-known (I am making it sure now), while Lake Balaton and Lake Velence have become outstanding tourism and recreational centers.   back Lake Balaton The largest shallow lake in Europe, Balaton was born 10-12 thousand years ago. 77 km long by 4.5-14 km wide, the lake has a surface area of 600 sq km. Its deepest point is the Tihany Well, a 13 meter depression in the lake's bed, off Tihany Peninsula; elsewhere the depth varies between one and five meters. The shoreline is 200 km long. The silky-soft water of the Balaton warms up to 20 - 30 degrees Celsius in the summer, and it is often covered by a contiguous sheet of ice in the winter. The are surrounding the lake is ideally suited for growing grapes.  Grapes and wine have always formed an integral part of life in Balaton Region, interwined with variety of activities, including work, celebration, and mourning. This are makes it quite obvious that vine, this noble plant, has the power of shaping land and culture.   back The Northern Mountains The topography of this varied geographical region, which extends from the Hungarian Great Plain right up to the Hungarian-Slovak border, is marked by alternating mountains and wide valleys. Most of its mountain ranges, such as the Dunazug Hills in Transdanubia and the larger part of the Börzsöny and the Cserhát, north of the Danube river, the Mátra Mountains to the east, plus the Cserhát and Zemplén Mountains in the northeastern part of the country, are composed of volcanic materials. However, the Bükk and the Aggtelek Mountains are limestone and karst formations featuring large cave systems that were inhabited even by prehistoric man. The hillsides are covered by oak, beech, and hornbeam. The Northern Mountains are relatively rich in mineral resources. Metallurgical, and main manufacturing centers the present-day cities Ózd, Diósgyőr and Salgótarján.  Several well-known curative and holiday resorts lie nestled in the hillsides, such as Eger, Parád, Lillafüred, Miskolc-Tapolca, Galyatető, and Kékes (1014 m), the highest point of Hungary. The largest city of the region is Miskolc, an important industrial and cultural center. The Northern Mountains are rich in natural attractions as well as in historic sites. Famous are the wines of Gyöngyös and Eger, but even more so the Tokaj wines grown on the southern slopes of the Zemplen Mountains. back HISTORY   As we have been in lack of luck, lots of times, during our history, we have never been in lack of imagination.  Legends, poetic approaches are very important parts of the Hungarian character from the ancient times. Anonymus (Unknown), our first historian, whose work the Gesta Hungarorum is considered literature today,  as a notar at the court of Béla III (12th century) he writes about the origin and wanderings  of the Hungarian People. (He was also the first to use the Latin alphabet, writing down names of persons and places, thus helping Hungary to become the part of Western culture.)   Excerpt from the Gesta Hungarorum  back Settling in the Carpathian Basin The truth is probably that the Huns had already been in the Carpathian Basin when the 'Hungarian/Magyar' tribes arrived there. They came from the East slope of the Ural Mountains. Originally nomadic hunters and fishers, they later took up stock-breeding. When no more grass was yielded by the pasture land, the tribes wandered on, bartering leather, fur, and horses, for fabrics, spices, carpets and jewelry. They lived in brilliantly lavishly decorated tents.  back Árpád This is how the first Hungarians arrived in present-day Hungary, coming through the Verecke Pass in the Carpathian Mountains. They were made up of seven tribes. Each tribes consisted of several families and their descendants and was led by the ablest man, the one who was the best warrior and whose authority was recognized by all. The Magyars were the strongest tribe, and later the nation constituted of the seven tribes was named for them. Álmos was the chief of the Magyars. Árpád, his son, was elected by the chieftains to rule over the young nation as her reigning prince. Among themselves, the seven chiefs had entered a treaty sealed by drinking from a common cup filled with their own blood. So the seven tribes became a nation and valiant Árpád was lifted on a shield as a sign of supremacy.   back 'From the arrows of Magyars, Lord, deliver us!' Hungarian nomadic ways of life attained their highest form during Árpád's reign when the Magyars reached the Carpathian Basin. At first, they found it hard to settle down in their new homeland. They simply could not stay still on their butts, and small groups of warriors frequently raided the European borderlands. The Magyars had been successful in breeding stocky, strong and fast horses, fully adequate to their requirements. Born riders, they could, and often did, remain on horseback for days, always ready for combat.  For half a century, the peaceful dwellers of Western Europe were often taken aback and menaced by the sudden appearance and bold feats of these wild warriors. Their skill and precision in handling bow and arrows were uncanny; they could, for instance, shoot backwards without rising from the saddle. This was a typical Magyar mode of fighting. When their enemies saw them turning around in battle, they thought they were fleeing, until a shower of arrows proved them to be wrong. 'From the arrows of Magyars, Lord, deliver us' prayed the inhabitants of Italian, German and French monasteries.  Between 880 and 970 they invaded Lombardy, appeared on the banks of the Rhine, went as far as Central Italy, reached France in the West, Belgium in the North and Constantinople in the East. However, Otto I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, defeated them at Lechfeld near Augsburg in 955, they realized at last the nomadic  way of life had to be given up. Finally they rode back to the land they had first conquered in the basin of the Carpathians, settled down, and fortified their borders.  According to legend, the Hungarians had offered  the previous ruler of the country, Svatopluk, king of the Slavs, a magnificent white horse with a gilded saddle and harness, asking in return for 'Earth, Water, and Grass.' Svatopluk accepted the barter. To his great surprise, the Hungarians now claimed the land for the horse, the rivers for the saddle, and the luscious green grass of plains for the harness. Recognizing the greater power of the Hungarians, Svatopluk reluctantly gave over the land.  The land the ancient Hungarians settled was once incorporated in the Roman Empire; Transdanubia  was called Pannonia, with the Danube as part of the limes, and the Dacian state in the East belonged to Rome during Trajan. The Romans pulled out about 300 B.C. After this came the great waves of  migration. Ostrogoths were pressed by the Huns. Later Huns and Avers came, both Turkish people, when their Asiatic Empire were annihilated by Chinese expansion. The Huns lived on the Great Hungarian Plain, but dispersed after the death of their great leader, Attila. Attila was buried in a threefold gold-silver-iron tomb in the Tisza. Slavic people settled on the plain in the meantime. back King Stephen I, the Saint (Első Szent István), the State Founder While his father, Prince Géza, still lived in a tent, St. István, first great Christian King of Hungary, built castles and churches--masterpieces of architecture. He wanted his loosely connected, wandering tribes to become a permanently settled nation whose members would found communities, build houses, and live within easy reach of a church. Villages and towns thus came to being, and farming was added to stock-breeding and hunting. Thus the possibility was given for the future development of a new nation in the Middle Age European spiritual and cultural community. By embracing Christianity, King István chose between East and West, between Byzantium and Rome. István sided with Western Christendom and civilization and ever since Hungary has never ceased to be their faithful outpost. The law code he set up was stern but Christian in spirit and wise in application. The nation loved him as he loved his subjects, Following the Frankish system, he divided the country into counties, called comitatus, and founded two archbishoprics and eight bishoprics.  King St. István has always been considered the founder of the Hungarian nation. Around 1000 A.D. , he was crowned first king of Hungary in Esztergom and canonized in 1807. His magnificent crown was a present from Pope Sylvester II. Until 1916 all kings of Hungary had been crowned with this symbol of royalty and of the nation's close connection with the West.   The next two and a half centuries - during the reign of the House of Árpád - tested the new kingdom to the limit. The period was marked by constant struggles between rival claimants to the throne, and land grabs by powerful neighbours. Hungary's descent into anarchy was arrested only after Andrew III, the Árpád's last in line, died in 1301. After the death of Andrew III, Hungary flourished. A succession of able rulers, beginning with Charles Robert and culminating in the golden reign of Matthias Corvinus, made the country one of Europe's leading powers. However, the death of Matthias in 1490 resulted in another setback. His successor Vladislav was unable to maintain royal authority, funds were squandered, and retrograde laws reduced the peasantry to serfdom. back Some Highlights 1055 An abbey was set up at Tihany. The foundation charter was drawn up on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. This is the earliest written record extant in the Hungarian language. 1241 The Mongolian Tatars devastated the country. Their presence, which lasted a year, halted development for at least a century. After the warfare with the Hungarians, the Tatars did not continue towards the west. 1458-1490  The rule of King Matthias. Cultural life of a European standard flourished in his palaces at Buda and Visegrád. For a few decades, Hungary lived on a West European standard. 1526 At Mohács, the present southern frontier of the country, the Turks defeated the Hungarian army. 150 years of Turkish occupation started. 1541 The Turks occupied Buda. Hungary was split into three parts. The Habsburg governed the western part of the country, the central area was ruled by the Turks, and the south-east Transylvanian principality (today part of Roumania) for a long time was the citadel of Hungarian culture. 1686 Buda was recaptured from the Turks. (The Turks - similarly to the Tartars - could only advance in Europe to the territory of Hungary. Here they were faced by obstacles, after which no strength was left for the siege of Vienna.) 1703-1711  A freedom war under the leadership of Ferenc Rákóczi II, Prince of Transylvania, against the Habsburgs. The rebels defeated the Imperial army in several battles, but did not receive the promised French support and failed.  back Hungarian National Symbols The crest  (coats of arms) is red and silver (or white)  with the twofold cross and three hills; it originated from early times, the hills representing the three mountain ranges: Tátra, Mátra, Fátra. (This is the most important and the most frequently used Hungarian symbol.) The Hungarian flag was originally red and white; the green was added much later. (the three colors were first used together in 1618 when they were employed for the seal cord. The national colors and the country's coats of arm were formally adopted in 1848. These ancient symbols have deep roots in the consciousness of the nation. The Hungarian National Anthem was written by Ferenc Kölcsey in 1823 (the date on the hand script was January 22nd, since 1994 this is the unofficial holiday of The Hungarian Culture) Its title is Anthem /Himnusz/. Ferenc Erkel composed the accompanying music in 1844. In terms of popular usage it has been the accepted national anthem since its composition. By decree, it has been used since the change of regime, 1989. Bless the Magyar, O our God, Bountifully, gladly! Shield with Thy protecting hand When his foes smite madly! Fate, of old, has rent him sore; May it now bring healing! By-gone sins are all aton'd, Ev'n the future sealing. back The 1848-49 Hungarian War of Independence After the Tartar invasion, and another 150 years of suffer under the Turk reign, Hungary got liberated by the Habsburgs and became the part of their Empire. The influences of Széchenyi, Kossuth, and the works of the great nationalistic authors and poets kindled the patriotism and pride of the Hungarian people. The time was right for throwing off the shackles of foreign domination and for creating a truly nationalistic, progressive and independent state.  On March 15, 1848,  university students under the leadership of Petőfi, Vasvári, and Jókai proclaimed the nations demands in twelve theses, mainly requesting: freedom of press, Hungarian as official language in the government and in the schools, withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, cancellation of Hungarian soldiers' obligation to serve abroad, yearly session of Parliament in Pest, religious freedom, amnesty for political prisoners, Hungarian commanders for the army, and, as a postulate of highest importance, freedom of speech.  In the morning these theses were read to the students assembled at the Cafe Pillwax and were followed by the 'Nemzeti Dal' (National Song), which the poet Petőfi had written the night before. They were met with unparalleled enthusiasm. The crowds then proceeded to Landerer's printing shop where the twelve theses and the National Song were printed without the censor's permission. The fresh copies circulated from hand to hand, and many of them were kept and generations later still treasured by Hungarian families.  In the meantime a growing crowd of peasants, students, and burghers had assmbled in front of the National Museum, in spite of heavy rain. Petőfi recited his National song and the audience enthusiastically repeated the words: 'We avow to the God of the Hungarians never to be prisoners again!' (At three o'clock in the afternoon political prisoners, freed from the Buda jail, were brought in a triumphant march to the National Museum.) back Lajos Kossuth Coming from an impoverished family of the lower gentry, Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) began his political career as a parliamentary reporter. The government, however, disliked his daring stories and imprisoned him. In his three years in prison, he learned the English language. (Way to go, don't you think?) After his release, he founded the daily Pesti Hirlap (the newspaper still exists, though it has slightly changed its character, by today it has become one of the biggest of the yellow presses), edited in the spirit of political reform. At the time he was already well known in Hungary as a radical reformer and had a strong following among the lesser nobility. After the events of March, 1848, it became obvious that his aims - national independence and democracy - could be realized only by an armed revolution. In a speech delivered on July 11, 1848, Kossuth asked the nation to give him 200,000 soldiers and 48,000,000 forints. An inspired audience was ready to fulfill these demands, and scores of honvéd (defender of the homeland) assembled under his colors. The first responsible cabinet was formed. While Széchenyi and other politicians were unwilling to assume full responsibility for the freedom fight, Kossuth did not hesitate to take the lead in the national movement; he was elected head of the defense committee. General Bem, a hero of the Polish war of freedom, liberated Transylvania from Habsburg rule; and Görgey, who was officer of the guards before, was victorious over the Austrians near the river Tisza. On April 4, 1849, the National Assembly dethroned the House of Habsburg and Kossuth became governor of independent Hungary. But the tables turned. With the help of the overwhelming Russian army the Habsburgs defeated the Hungarians, and Görgey surrendered at Világos on August 13, 1849. Kossuth was forced to emigrate.   back Kossuth in America He sailed to the United States to ask for help. On his way he stopped in England where he was most ceremoniously received by the Lord Mayor of London and mayors of Birmingham and Manchester. Having learned the language of 200 years ago, he was at a loss for words to express modern ideas, and so he created new English words and expressions. He was praised by the English for his ingenuity and richly expressive lectures. He addressed his American audience also in Shakespearean cadences and was widely celebrated. During the nearly seven moths that Kossuth toured America (Dec 5, 1851 - July 14, 1852) he gave about 600 speeches, mostly in English and some in German, often two or three hours long. (That must have been boring!) On his tour he went as far  north as Boston, west to Wisconsin, and south to New Orleans. On Jan. 7, 1852. Kossuth addressed the House of Representatives, and he was the second non-US citizen to do so (after the Marquis De Lafayette.)  As President Fillmore's guest at the White House, his subsequent tour of the US proved triumphant and well reported in the press. Received with enthusiasm by local officials, as well as by the Hungarian-American communities. His fame lived long after his departure that year and past his death. When Kossuth went back to Europe, a great number of his followers stayed in America and later took an active part in the Civil War. (I'll speak about them in more detail at the Hungarian Arts and Sciences class. ) back 1849-1956 After the dark years of suppression which followed the surrender of the Hungarian freedom fight, the relationship between Hungary and Austria returned to normal only trough the Compromise of 1867. According to the Compromise, internal problems were handled separately while military questions and foreign affairs were handled jointly. Hungary became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the great national dream of independence was not realized, this was a period pf peaceful development in Hungary. Industrialization, improved roads, railroads helped the economy; commerce expanded. The capital, Budapest, became a modern city. However, only a part of the nation prospered. (First wave of Emigrants to America.) The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the first unwanted experiment of a unified Middle Europe. It consisted of such diverse national groups with different languages and backgrounds as Italian, Romanian, Slovakian, Serbian, Croatian, German, and Hungarian. As long as these groups were antagonizing each other, the Habsburgs of Austria could impose their authority. But as soon as efforts at agreement and union were successful, the Habsburg lost their control.  Kossuth was wise enough not to  see enemies in the surrounding nationalities who spoke another language. Kossuth cherished a dream of a Danube Basin Confederation to connect all states situated on the Danube into a political-cultural-commercial unity of friendship and common interests. What he dreamed was a seed for a future United States of Europe. The outbreak of World War I put an end to this period. Hungary took an active part in both World Wars I and II and lost much manpower and territory. Hungary had to do what was expected of her and go into World War. As a result of the Versailles peace treaty, Hungary lost two thirds of her territory to her neighbors: Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Italy. The railroad system was paralyzed, the nation's only seaport Fiume, was lost. Nearly all forests and mines were annexed to Romania and Czechoslovakia. More than half of the population was lost. The thousand-years-old geographical and historical unity of Hungary was destroyed. In World War II, we picked the wrong side again. By 1945 the country was n most unfavorable political situation: isolated from the West and occupied by Russian troops. Yet the people were hopeful and determined to rebuild their country. Instead, Soviet influence increased as the Communists gradually took control. The press, radio, and the schools became means of spreading propaganda. The workers were urged to work harder for forced industrial plan. The parliamentary system was terminated, together with many traditional aspects of Hungarian life. Imre Nagy was appointed Premier in 1953. He was to ease the drive for industrialization and to help the farm issue. But soon he was condemned for his policies. He was to reappear at the outbreak of the 1956 Revolution. During three years after 1953, it was openly acknowledged that people had been imprisoned unjustly and some were released and rehabilitated. This rather increased than eased the tension as prison stories began to circulate. Open criticism became louder and even appeared in the press.   back October 23, 1956 The events of the October 23, 1956 Hungarian Revolution were strikingly similar to those which had taken place 110 years earlier. As in 1848, enthusiastic young students gathered in a mass demonstration. Even the place of outbreak was identical by fatal coincidence: the steps of the National Museum in 1848 and the Radio Budapest, in building a building a block from there, in 1956. Here students tried to  broadcast there demands and were fired on; this started the bloody fight. Again request were formulated which were almost identical to the theses of 1848 - following tragic tradition - freedom of press, end of censorship, national independence, end of foreign military occupation, political and economic reforms. Again, censure was abolished for a short time and the first freely printed pamphlets were distributed to the enthusiastic crowds. The Kossuth crest reappeared on the walls. As in 1848 this revolution was likewise overthrown and the Soviet Russian rule continued to the end of the '80s.  The special editions of newspapers and magazines aroused world-wide compassion. Later the countless articles, commentaries, and books published, and the activities of the UN, the report made by a Special Committee on the Problem of Hungary, kept the world well informed about the happenings of now historical facts of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.   back The 'jolliest barrack' and the '80s After the Soviet tanks crushed the revolution, János Kádár , who was installed in power by the Soviet Union, and the reorganized Communist Party launched a merciless retaliation drive. In the early '60s, the regime consolidated its power by easing oppression and introducing economic reforms to improve living standards. More and more Hungarians were allowed to travel abroad, and economic relations with the West started to develop.  To a certain extent this distinguished Hungary from the other 'socialist' countries, and thus Hungary was often referred to as 'the jolliest barrack of the socialist camp.' back The change of regime, 1989 By the mid `80s the crisis of the so-called socialist economic system had become obvious all over the world. As a country relatively open to the West, Hungary was particularly fertile ground for the spread of democratic social ideas and intellectual trends. For this reason, when dramatic changes in world politics in 1989 enabled the country to regain its independence, Hungarian society was fully prepared for a peaceful change of regime. Pro-democracy  social groupings, which sought to dismantle the old regime and staged mass demonstrations, organized themselves into legal political parties. The fact that the Republic of Hungary was proclaimed on 23 October 1989 (the anniversary of the 1956 revolution), symbolized the essence of the change in regime: the country has regained her sovereignty, switched over from central planning to market economy, and replaced single-party dictatorship with multiparty democracy. After forty years of the so-called socialist regime, the first free elections were held in 1990. Enacting numerous fundamental laws, the new Parliament established the institutional system of Western-type democracy and restored Hungary as an independent, European state governed by the rule of law. The different parliamentary parties have reached a consensus about the major economic interests and foreign policy priorities of the country.      back CONTEMPORARY HUNGARY Since the change of regime right-of-center and social-liberal coalitions have been switching each other in governing. All of them consider it to their top priority to achieve full Euro-Atlantic integration for Hungary as soon as possible and to develop relations with neighboring countries, with special regard to the defense of the rights of the large Hungarian ethic minority living in neighboring countries, according to European norms. Hungary was admitted as a full member of NATO on March 12, 1999.  The present Prime Minister of the social-liberal government is  Ferenc Gyurcsány .  Hungary has joined the European Union in May 1, 2004.     compiled by Loránd Balázs Imre        back the top           back to the first page