Hungarian American Coalition News, 2002 (11. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
2002 / 1. szám
KOSSUTH’S IDEALS AND CONTEMPORARY HUNGARY by Janos Szekeres We, Hungarian-Americans who are commemorating the journey to the United States by Lajos Kossuth 150 years ago, cannot but reflect on the historical significance of his visit to America. Probably, no other Hungarian had greater popularity and influence than Kossuth at that time. Yet, he could not summon help from the United States to help defeat the absolutist forces of Habsburg Austria and imperial Russia, that crushed Hungary’s independence. This is because, then, the United States was still an expanding country within the American continent with far greater domestic and regional concerns than any significant inclination to project herself abroad. Yet, Kossuth left an indelible impression on Americans as a champion of freedom and democratic values. There are numerous publications, some by well known figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry W. Longfellow, that illustrate the influence left by the Hungarian statesman. In our moment of remembrance of Kossuth we can take pride in Kossuth’s affinity, held from his youth, for the ideals of American self-government, and democratic values. And we can also recall his goal to bring the might of the United States to secure Hungarian democracy and independence that belatedly came to fruition in March of 1999, in the same month as the 1848 revolution, when Hungary signed the Treaty of Washington and became the military ally of the United States and 17 other nations. By historical coincidence, this alliance became a reality nearly 150 years after the defeat of Hungary’s bid for independence in 1849. We can take pride in the achievements of today’s Hungary. The republic has successfully made the transition from communist dictatorship to a nation of democratic rule soon to join the European Union. We should note that in the 1990’s Hungary, for the first time in over four decades, was able to formulate her own foreign policy. With the election of the first freely elected head of government Prime Minister József Antall, Hungary was instrumental in increasing the security and stability of the region by launching a regional cooperation initiative at Visegrad, aimed at coordinating the European integration of Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. Besides this important initiative, Hungary started also, for the first time in decades, to turn her eyes to the Hungarian communities of neighboring countries torn against their will from Hungary by the arbitrary Treaty of Trianon of 1920, and becoming foreign nationals against their choice. This concern for the Hungarian minorities became one of the cardinal points of Hungarian foreign policy and an affirmation of the free will of the Hungarian people reflected in the Hungarian Constitution. The Hungarian minorities, since the democratic changes of 1989- 1990, have played a significant role in building democracy, particularly in countries, such as Romania and Slovakia where their numbers are, in relative terms, significant. Despite suffering instances of official or societal discrimination in some of these countries, Hungarian communities in neighboring countries are contributors to the process of democratic and economic development of those countries and seek to obtain the free exercise of their rights within a commitment to the rule of law and non-violence. In this spirit of solidarity, the Hungarian communities of the Carpathian basin have asked the government of Hungary to enact laws that help them maintain their cultural identity. The benefits law, or as it is known in Hungary, the "status law", is a law that provides modest assistance, especially in the areas of education, culture, employment and travel to ethnic Hungarians across borders who, for too long, were ignored in their needs. The law reflects the free will of the Hungarian communities who want to assist each other and its provisions are not directed against anyone. The role of self-governing communities in a democracy was highlighted by Lajos Kossuth in a speech at the Congressional banquet in his honor in Washington: "We Hungarians are very fond of the principle of municipal self-government, and we have a natural horror against the principle of centralization...With self-government is freedom, and with freedom is justice and patriotism. With centralization is ambition, and with ambition dwells despotism." 2 • Hungarian American Coalition • Spring 2002
