Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2000. [Vol. 6.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Book reviews - András Tarnóc: Tibor Frank: Ethnicity, Propaganda, Myth-Making: Studies on Hungarian Connections to Britain and America 1848-1945.

most successful type of culture projection, as both the image sender and receiver appear to share a common denominator. Synretization can be discerned in the acceptance of the importance of the study of anthropology and its application to the respective multicultural scene by the Hungarian educational and political establishment. Frank aptly quotes the acclaimed Minister of Hungarian Education, Ágoston Trefort: "Anthropology is a fertile field in Hungary which was and is inhabited by different races in times ancient and modern" (25). The question posed by Aurél von Török the Ponor "whether or not the Hungarian type progressed in a physical sense due to this continuous mixing of the blood" (28) reminds one of the quandary of the American nativists. Consequently, anthropology on both sides of the Atlantic was far from being value neutral and during the examined period it was used to prove the superiority of one group over another. Kossuth's self-promoted image of an Anglo-Saxon ideas inspired freedom fighter acquiring English proficiency during his readings of Shakespeare while imprisoned as a martyr for the cause of the freedom of the press is another example of syncretization and naturally, of a successful culture projection. It is important to realize, however, that Kossuth did not represent the official Hungarian government, yet his monumental tour of Britain and the U.S. established an eternal connection between him and Hungary in the American mind. The "mythological transformation of Kossuth's autobiography" (216) was a carefully designed public relations campaign successfully appealing to the heart of the Anglo-Saxon public. The image created by Kossuth is the reification of the basic ideals of Anglo-Saxon democracy and functions as a living proof of the viability of the English and American ideal The American view of Miklós Horthy also offers a proof of syncretization. Frank demonstrates that the Regent of Hungary was seen by the American government as a guarantee of political stability and a bulwark against the potential restoration of the Habsburg monarchy in the post World War One era. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the American observers, General Harry Hill Bandholtz, Nicholas Roosevelt, and John F. Montgomery allude to the decadence and anachronistic nature of the Hungarian aristocracy and to the refreshingly middle class values of the gentry represented by Horthy. While Bandholtz emphasizes Horthy as a guarantee against 225