A Sensitive Anniversary – The Centenary of Trianon in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania
| dc.contributor.author | Manzinger Krisztián | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-20T10:58:02Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-11-20T10:58:02Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The centenary of the Treaty of Trianon was commemorated in three separate ways in the three countries of the Carpathian Basin for which Trianon has a crucial historical role, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. While Hungary obviously focused on the loss and emphasized the need for strong regional cooperation to overcome historical grievances, in Slovakia important segments of the academic sphere showed an openness to understand the Hungarian position on the treaty, and the Slovak prime minister even publicly declared that he can accept the fact that Trianon is painful for Hungarians. Romania, on the contrary, showed no such openness at all from either the academic, or the politic sphere; and alongside propagating nationalistic messages, a law was also adopted by the Parliament declaring June 4, the day of Trianon, a national remembrance day, projecting thus another embarrassment for Romanian-Hungarian relations, both within Romania and on a bilateral level. The conclusion of the article coincides with some messages on the centenary: Trianon could only become a relic of the past if, by creating self-governance, the legal equality of the Hungarian communities in the respective states can be ensured. The Treaty of Trianon, signed on 4 June 1920, ended WWI for Hungary. A century has passed since then, yet the word ‘Trianon’ is still part of everyday life, not only in Hungary, but also in some of the neighbouring countries. Although the word ‘Trianon’ historically refers to the borders created and the injustices Hungary suffered a century ago, today it reflects more on the situation of the Hungarian communities living in the neighbouring countries. The treaty not only separated minority populated areas from Hungary, but for strategic reasons, resulted in the creation of Hungarian minorities millions-strong. These Hungarian communities still exist in the neighbouring communities, mostly forming a regional majority where they reside, and do not enjoy the collective rights they feel are necessary to provide the appropriate framework for preserving and developing their communities. This is why Trianon is still sensitive, not only for Hungary, but for several successor states as well, and why Trianon is not only a relic of the past. In this article, we will not examine the legal situation or the endeavours of the Hungarian communities, nor the position of the neighbouring states or Hungary in relation to these demands; our goal is to present how the centenary was remembered in Hungary, and the homes of the two most numerous Hungarian communities, Romania and Slovakia. Although it would be very interesting to study the contemporary evaluation of Trianon in Romanian and Slovakian historiography, since they create the milieu for political discourse in the respective state, we will not go into detail, and will only focus on the political events connected with the centenary in these countries. What is to be stressed here, is that while ‘Trianon’ has been the most important date for Hungarians and Hungary, it has traditionally had a smaller role in the historical consciousness of the majority populations of the neighbouring states. They praise other events higher; most of all the respective day in 1918 when their leaders announced their intention to secede from Hungary or incorporate those parts of it where they were the majority society. In some states, especially in Romania, that day has an important role as being the most important national holiday, while in other states, like in Slovakia, it has no special importance. June 4, however, is a day of grief for Hungarians wherever they live in the Carpathian Basin. Thus, as we will see below, any attempts to erect monuments or to adopt a law praising Trianon is not for the members of the majority nation, but against the Hungarians, showing how respective state regards the Hungarian community forming part of its citizenry. | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 9786155961755 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2063-4757 | |
| dc.identifier.mtmt | 32861120 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://krepozit.kre.hu/handle/123456789/489 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Állam- és Jogtudományi Kar | |
| dc.title | A Sensitive Anniversary – The Centenary of Trianon in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania | |
| dc.type | Book chapter |
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