99 years of Trianon
June 6th, 2019On the anniversary of the peace treaty that dismembered the Kingdom of Hungary in 1920, a liberal historian suggests that Hungary should forget her victimhood complex, while a pro-government commentator expresses the fear that mass immigration is a threat comparable to Trianon not just for Hungary but for all European nations.
On Klubrádió, István Kopcsik, the vice chairman of the association of history teachers dismisses the rightwing narrative which claims that in the wake of World War One, western powers were out to make Hungary suffer. They drew the new borders between Hungary and the new nation-states they created, he continues, in total disregard for ethnic realities, but their goal was to create strong allies that could contain Russian and German expansionism, rather than to hurt Hungary. Kopcsik thinks Hungary should focus on her millennial history of co-operation with neighbouring peoples and shake off its Trianon trauma.
In Magyar Nemzet, Dávid Megyeri thinks Hungary has already overcome the ‘Trianon syndrome’ by promoting co-operation with neighbouring countries. On the other hand, he believes Hungary is still targeted by western Europeans as repeated resolutions have been taken by the European parliament condemning the Hungarian government. Such resolutions are promoted by pro-immigration forces, he argues, who aim to destroy nationhood, and thus continue the onslaught on Hungary that started 99 years ago with the Trianon peace treaty. On this anniversary, Megyeri writes, rather than the dissolution of Europe’s nations, Hungary intends to celebrate their community.
Tags: Trianon