HUNGARY’S DANGER

Evening Star, Issue 23845, 27 March 1941, Page 10

HUNGARY’S DANGER

NATIONAL DISINTEGRATION GERMAN INFLUENCE Hungary to-day is in some danjger o{ national disintegration. /The element in its composition that iriight separate out is the German, Nazis claim there are 700,000 Germans in Hungary. The Hungarians acknowledge only half a million (writes R. H. Markham, in the ‘ Christian Science Monitor ’). Both sides may be right, for one cannot easily say who is a German in Hungary. A person who had been an ardent Hungarian for years might merge into a German. In the Hungarian nation are millions who carry a Teutonic strain to a greater or lesser degree. If the Nazis should dominate Europe and bring all the good things of a continent into German hands, many of the part Germans might declare themselves Germans again. Even a cursory study of Hungary would show how actual this problem is. For example, the late Premier Julius Gombos had one German parent. The recent Prime Minister, Bela Imredy, is from a German family, named Heinrich. In his Ministerial Council was a Ho(f)man, a Kunder, a Schneller, and a Fischer. These men were all completely Hungarianised—• they were even Hungarian nationalists. They _ were banner-carriers for Hungarianism. This writer is not suggesting that they would revert to their original race affiliations; he merely cites them as examples of how the Hungarian nation was formed. The original Magyar element is '‘comparatively small; the German element is comparatively large. Five Ministers in a single Cabinet showed that. A LONG STRUGGLE.. Hungary has been a subordinated State during almost the whole of Its history. _ The people, though a dominating race, have usually been, dominated by foreign masters, most of all by the. Germans. For centuries, Germans lorded it over Hungarians, That made it easy for them to become a part of the Hungarian nation. The two elements have carried on a long, fierce struggle. (Both made gains. But by 1900 the Magyars emerged as decided victors. The Hungarians had been somewhat Germanised, but they had retained a definite and dominant Magyar nature. It was aggressive, too. -Magyar nationalism ran very high. The Hungarians became the most nationalistic people of Europe. ■ They are good at assimilating others. They are a strong race. They exercise a mighty fascination. They are Europe’s glamour race. Many foreigners have enjoyed being Magyarised. Such people usually become more Magyar than the Magyars themselves. Aggressive nationalism hides reality, but does not eliminate it.. The reality is that there are millions of persons of German origin in Hungary. Nowgreat pressure is likely to be applied by the Nazi Germans to remove them from the Hungarian family. ROMAN CATHOLIC INFLUENCE. Where are they to be found in the largest numbers 'i First,, in the Roman Catholic Church. A millennium ago, the great Magyar King, St. Stephen, invited German priests to Hungary to supervise the church. That influence remains. Even to the present day the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church is largely German or Slav. There are bishops with purely German names. The _ Hapsburgs used the Roman Catholic Church to strengthen their domination. They were glad to have as many Germans as possible in its leadership. The army, too, was largely Germanised. It freed itself, while still under Hapsburg command, of many German officers, and became largely autonomous. But 1 not all the German officers left. Many became Magyarised. Their families still live in Hungary; they are even in the army. Some State officials, also, are of German origin. For decades the whole administration was under German control. Even the schools were largely Germanised. The theatre completely. When Hungary freed itself, it gave niost of the jobs to Hungarians. But by that time many of the German -officials had become Magyarised, while others had to be retained as experts. So there are many persons of German origin in the bureaycracy, even though that is,the chief stronghold of the Magyar “ intelligentsia.” CAPITAL LIKE GERMAN CITY. The artisans are mostly of German origin. Practically all the “ masters ” in Hungary were once Germans. The Magyars were farmers. They left the handicrafts and business largely* to Germans. They even brought m Germans for that purpose. Most of the cities in Hungary have been German, even of German origin. The chief language of Budapest was once German. The very capital of Hungary \had tho appearance of a German city. The aristocracy is largely of foreign origin, and the main foreign element in it is German. The dynasty was German, and wanted non-Magyar feudal lords, who would serve it rather than the nation. After every unsuccessful revolution many Magyar noblemen were replaced with foreign ones. In many a’ case, the reward for fighting against Hungarian nationalism was an estate in Hungary. Of course, some aristocrats -were, and remain, very noblv Magyar. With the Roman Catholic Church, army, administration, business, and intellectual life dominated for long periods by Germans, that element naturally blended with the Hungarian stock. Probably 750,000 speak German, many of whom have already been persuaded or coerced to feel as Germans. Hundreds of thousands more have German names or names _ only recently Hungarianised. Potentially they are not so very far from the fold of German “ race and blood.” _ In a Europe dominated by Nazi Germans. it would he a great advantaga for one to be a German. To be a Jew in such a Europe would be a catastrophe: to be a Slav, a disaster; to he a Hungarian, a grave mistake. So if a Hungarian could turn up old records and prove he was really Herr Schmidt, that would he worth mora than a doctor’s degree. He would be among the favoured. Denationalisation might become a great force. The German Nazis wdl use it with all their might in their efforts to win this war.