Folia historica 24

I. Tanulmányok - Pallos Lajos: Területvédő propaganda Magyarországon 1918-1920.

Hungarian nationalities living in the country, especially near the borders. Considering the public opinion, the Hungarian politicians did not abandon the view of territorial integrity, while they hoped that small minoroties like the Slovaks or Ruthenians would be loath to separate from the Hungarians only to be part of another multi-national state. In the government the socialdemocratic Kunfi Zsigmond alone held the view that Hungary should concentrate on preserving territories that are inhabited by Hungarians. In this way the propaganda for territorial defence started on November 1918 and lasted until the signing of the Trianon Peace Treaty on June 1920, and tried to convince the victorious Allies that the peace conference should decide in favour of the historic boundaries of Hungary. During this propaganda activity a unit of arguments for the defence of territorial integrity was formed, which were adopted by the revisionist and irredentist propaganda after 1920, therefore falsely thought to originate from this latter. The semi-official National Propaganda Committee and various social societies worked on the propaganda for territorial defence and were co-ordinated by government organs.The National Council, the same organ that helped the Károlyi government to come to power, established the National Propaganda Committee in November 1918 with the aim of popularising the democratic social institutions and the republican state among the population. The Committee, besides, tried to win the sympathy of the nationalities living in the country for the renewed Hungary on the way of reforms. But as by the beginning of 1919, territories inhabited by the minorities as well as pure Hungarian territories were occupied, the Committee switched to a propaganda directed abroad. Ernő Jeges' print titled No! No! Never! first appeared on postcards, posters and badges at this time, and later became an emblematic means of the propaganda for territorial defence as well as revision. The Protective League of Hungary's Territorial Integrity was the most influential among the independent social organisations. Several society and alliance joined the organisation, which started its operation in December 1918 and shortly named League of Territorial Defence. The League boasted the traditional political, social and cultural élite of Hungary, including politicians, such as Gyula Andrássy and Albert Apponyi, scholars, such as Zsolt Beöthy and Lajos Lóczy, writers like Ferenc Herczeg and Ferenc Molnár, as well as actors of economic life like Ferenc Chorin, Leó Lánczy and János Teleszki. The majority of the league, however, came from the middle strata. Naturally, the Károlyi government, too, was present in the League, its members included the wife of Mihály Károlyi, Katinka Andrássy (daughter of Gyula Andrássy), Lajos Biró, under-secretary of Foreign Affairs, just being formed, and socialdemocratic Dezső Bokányi. The League, propagating the cause of territorial integrity on lectures and proclamations on the domestic scene, and through personal connections on the international scene, issued a number of pamphlets and prints intended to be distributed abroad and forwarded them to the government. By February 1919, a considerably large hold of propaganda material published by government organs and social societies was compiled in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One part of the material comprised pamphlets, while the other part graphic works. The pamphlets used various arguments of the propaganda for territorial defence, sometimes emphasising one or another, and sometimes all compiled in a piece of writing. The authors and co-authors of the pamphlets included politicians, statisticians as well as outstanding contemporary historians, such as Dávid Angyal, Sándor Domanovszky and Henrik Marczali. Their writings not only supported the cause of the propaganda, but assisted the work of the preparatory committee for peace which was established in the meantime. Fine arts pieces comprised an especially precious part of the propaganda material. The arguments of the propaganda were reinforced by the colourful graphic prints that emphasised 94