Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1974 (2. évfolyam, 3-5. szám)
1974 / 5. szám
DISSERTATIONS* A Magyar Szociológiai Irodalom Bibliográfiája (The Bibliography of Hungarian Sociological Literature) Vol. I., Periodicals 1900-1919. Compiled by the Sociological Research Group of the HAS, Published by the Ervin Szabó' Capital Library, 1974. 329 pages, $6.00 This is the first volume of a series which aims at a better understanding of the era. The limited edition is available on “first come, first served” basis. Maday, Bela C. “Urbanization and the Vanishing Peasantry in Hungary.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 220, Article 6 (March 11, 1974) pp. 560-568. This paper is part of a volume on “City and Peasant: A study in Sociocultural Dynamics,” the result of symposia arranged by the Anthropology Section of the Academy in 1971. The author asserts that the size of a settlement is a criterion of doubtful value for judgement of its character. Brief descriptions of the historical development of rural towns in Hungary, the tanya settlement system, the role of urban migration, and the more recent occurrence of urbanization of the village are presented, concluding that the peasant’s way of life is indeed vanishing, if it has not altogether ceased to exist. Although Hungarian sociologists have produced studies on structural changes, especially in regard to the new “commuting class,” there seems to be ample room for comprehensive studies on such aspects as the graduation of change as influenced by various cultural factors, ortheeffect of the villagecultureand peasant ideological order on urban attitudes, working habits, prestige categories, social, economic, and political choices, etc. Menczer, Béla, “The Habsburg Restoration: Hungary in 1921,” History Today 22 (Feb. 1972), pp. 128-135. Traces the political maneuverings that led to the attempt of Charles of Habsburg to regain the Hungarian throne: the invitation to return to Hungary having been extended by a group of conservative statesmen, both legitimists and those who saw in Charles’ restoration a chance to induce the Slovaks and Croats to enter into a federation with Hungary; some even hoped that Transylvania might be included. Chiefly as a result of these hopes and plans, the Little Entente opposed it and under pressure from primarily the French and British, the Parliament stripped the Habsburgs of all rights to the Hungarian throne. It must be noted that some who voted the deposal did so on ideological grounds (opposition to the Habsburgs per se, or anti-monarchic sentiments both playing a part here) and some who opposed the vote did so because it signified the Parliament’s subservience to outside, even alien, pressure. EMB Rogers, Michael and Zoltán Ovary, “Bartók in the U.S.S.R. in 1929.” Music Library Association Notes 29 (March 1973) pp. 416-425. Reproduction of three letters, and their English translation, written by Bartók to Elisabeth de Paulay, Hungarian-born wife of the Italian Ambassador to the USSR, Vittorio Cerutti, in connection with his problems during the tour. The letters are accompanied by a few explanatory comments. In 1929 Barto'k was invited to a tour of several Russian cities, to perform his own music as well as some of Koda'ly’s and the Italian masters. He met Mme. Cerutti, who was a patroness of artists, and she offered to aid him if necessary in getting the honorarium he had been promised. Though he received part of the sum, he did have to ask her, in the third letter, to expedite matters if possible. EMB ARTICLES (Continued from page 3) Congdon, Lee. (Northern Illinois U., 1973) “Beyond the ‘Hungarian Wasteland’; A Study In the Ideology of National Regeneration, 1900-1919” 257 pages. Xerox and microfilm order no. 73-20, 540. The thesis of this study is that the unifying motif of Hungarian intellectual history in the first two decades of the twentieth century was a longing for national regeneration, understood as the creation of a society governed by moral principles rather than by class privilege. The study consists of three intellectual biographies, which focus on Endre Ady’s summons to national regeneration and the reformist and revolutionary responses which that summons elicited from Oszkár Jaszi and György Lukács. The author contends that at the beginning of the twentieth century, Hungary was a political, social, and cultural “wasteland,” supported by an official ideology that was based upon conservative Christianity and Magyar nationalism. Because Hungary’s political leaders assigned the task of propagating this official ideology to Hungarian writers, musicians and painters, the rebellious generation that came of age afterl 900 created a “counter-culture” which produced such internationally-known figures as Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, Sándor Ferenczi, György Lukács, Kari Polányi, and Kari Mannheim. This cultural renaissance was a manifestation of the radical intelligentsia’s deeper desire for Hungary’s national regeneration. Endre Ady was the greatest Hungarian poet of the twentieth century and the symbol of the movement for national regeneration. In his poems and essays he castigated the “Hungarian wasteland,” summoned his countrymen to national rebirth and provided a poetic vision of Hungary regenerated. Ady did not, however, offer any clearly-defined program for realizing his vision. Hence, those who responded to his summons formed two opposing ideological camps: reformist and revolutionary. The most significant theorist of the reformist ideology of national regeneration was Oszkár üászi. A.student of Western sociology, Ja'szi was outraged by official Hungary’s opposition to the scholarly investigation of social life. In order to promote the study of society and to propagate a modern, “scientific” Weltanschauung, he founded the journal Huszadik Század (Twentieth Century) in 1900. Jaszi concluded that Hungary’s essential problems were social. He therefore articulated an ideology based upon the fundamental reform of Hungarian social and political life, i.e., the introduction of universal suffrage, the division of the land among peasants, and the implementation of the liberal Nationalities Law of 1868. György Lukács rejected Jászi’s reformist ideology and formulated a revolutionary ideology of national regeneration. He contributed to counter-cultural journals and organized Thalia, a theater that produced plays not included in the repertoires of Budapest’s official theaters. Lukács also came to believe that Hungary’s central problem was its social (Continued on page 5) (') Most of the abstracts are based on those published in Dissertation Abstracts International. Microfilm and Xerox copies of the original full dissertations may be obtained from Xerox University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106, when not indicated otherwise. When ordering, use order number given after each entry. 4 No. 5, 1974, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER
