Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1983 (11. évfolyam, 35-38. szám)
1983 / 37. szám
BOOKS (Continued) amalgamating tribal interests with a strongly centralized monarchy, was responsible fortheevo,útion of the constitutional symbol of the Sacred Crown. Thus, evolved a symbol representing the supreme political power of the country as exercised jointly by the king and by the nation. Throughout the history of Hungary as a monarchy, no coronation was considered legally valid unless it was performed with St. Stephen’s crown. The crown became a symbol of a mystic concept superior to both the ruler and the body of franchised citizens, within the framework in which the nobles as depositors of the traditional Magyar nation felt themselves equal partners with the monarch. No wonder that the fate of the crown was followed with great anxiety during and after World War II. This book is not an essay of constitutional history, but rather a presentation of articles, correspondence, speeches, and documents pertaining to the recent history of the crown. It is a treasure trove of raw data for scholarly research. Explicitly and implicitly it reflects on the political and emotional variables that influenced the U.S. decisions leading to the return of the crown to Hungary in 1978. It implies that popular sentiment in the U.S. and in Hungary was not in accord with President Carter’s decision, but opinions to the contrary are also given fair and extensive coverage. The volume begins with a brief historical retrospect, followed by a description of the "flight of the Holy Crown and it’s delivery into the custody of the Americans,” largely based on personal accounts. Chapter2 contains Congressional records, periodical accounts, and personal communications from the years 1958-1977. Chapter3 represents documentation of the “last battle’’ fought for the retention of the crown in the U.S. It contains mainly proceedings of hearings, government documents, and eyewitness accounts of the actual return of the crown to the Hungarian government of János Kadar. The last chapter gives glimpses on reactions, and consequences of the return, including an essay by Otto von Habsburg. An epilogue by Congresswoman Mary R. Oakar is followed by an appendix on attempted court actions to stay the presidential order. The reader will be impressed by the sheer size of this volume, by the broad range of documentary material compiled, and by the extraordinary efforts and personal sacrifice of the compiler, who published this tome using his own financial resources. The author is a former officer of the Hungarian Royal Army, who also documented the Hungarian Military Museum in Toronto. Slivka, John. HISTORICAL MIRROR: SOURCES OF THE RUSIN AND HUNGARIAN GREEK RITE CATHOLICS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1884-1963. The Rev. John Slivka, 143 Kent Street, Brooklyn, NY 12222,1978.341 pages. $15.00. This collection represents the effort of the author, who has for decades been interested in chronicling the history of the Carpatho-Rusyns in the U.S. More than 160 articles and decrees, most of which were previously published in Rusyn- American newspapers and almanacs, trace the history of the immigrant community between 1890 and 1963. Almost all the material focuses on the controversies within the group, especially on the struggle of the Greek Catholic Church (Uniate) with the Vatican and the Orthodox movement. Only articles favorable to the Greek Catholic position are included. Despite numerous typographical errors and mistranslations, the book still is a useful collection of a wide variety of otherwise difficult-to-obtain materials. ARTICLES lj PAPERS N.F. Dreisziger, “Hungarian History in North American Perspective,” The Historical Journal, 25:3 (1982) 765-733. The author introduces his review article of five books relating to Hungarian history with a brief survey of Hungarian historiography in East Central Europe and the Western world, then pinpoints the 1960s as the “golden age of Hungarian studies in North America.” Dreisziger's selection of examples of scholarly work on Hungarian topics begins with István Deak’s The Lawful Revolution, which the author describes as “an admirable synthesis of a great Hungarian historical drama (1848-1849), and of (Lajos) Kossuth’s role in it.” The second book is Bennett Kovrig’s Communism in Hungary: From Kun to Kádár which presents the reader with the history of the Communist Party of Hungary from 1919 to the present. Hungary, the Great Powers, and the Danubian Crisis 1936-1939 by Thomas L. Sakmyster is “a re-examination of Hungary’s foreign policies from the time of Hitler’s remilitarization of the Rhineland to the aftermath of the Munich crisis.” Another work relating to Hungarian history is Francis S. Wagner’s Hungarian Contributions to World Civilization. Dreisziger explains that the work is “a massive compilation of Hungarian achievements through the ages in the realm of the physical and social sciences (and) the humanities. . .and of special interest to historians is its. . . detailed, critical survey of Hungarian historiography.” "Peace and Strife" by Martin L. Kovács is unique due to the fact that it is a work in ethnic history, which “traces aspects of the genesis, flowering, and slow cultural erosion of the Hungarian colony of Bekevar, a small farming community near the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan.” Each book selected by Dreisziger gives an example of research done by Hungarian scholars in North America, and will prove to be of great interest to scholars and laymen alike. The authorcloses by reassessing current research in the field of Hungarian studies, and addressing the problems encountered by North American and Hungarian scholars, and the future of Hungarian historiography. The author is assoc, prof, of history at The Royal Military College of Canada. (SMN) □ Kortvelyessy, Tibor. “Demography and Evolution in an Immigrant Ethnic Community: Hungarian Settlement, Louisiana, USA.” Journal of Biosocial Science 15:2 (April 1983) 223-236. The study describes the fertility, mortality, and marriage patterns of the Hungarian Settlement, near Albany, Louisiana, and relates the demographic data to the evolutionary forces of natural selection, genetic drift, and genetic flow. The results indicate that the maximum opportunity for natural selection decreased overtime, and natural selection could have operated in the case of this population at only a very modest level. The demographic characteristics of this population suggest that genetic drift may be important as an agent of microdifferentiation. Gene flow, however, appears to be the most important evolutionary force in this population. The process, based on the increasing incorporation of non-Hungarians into the gene pool, is causing the breakdown of this ethnic/genetic isolate. The author is asst. prof, of anthropology at Ohio U. □ (Continued on Page 5) NO. 37, AUTUMN 1983, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER 4
