Szabolcs-Szatmár-Beregi levéltári évkönyv 14. (Nyíregyháza, 2000)

Rezümék (angol, német)

SUMMARIES GYÖRGY SZABAD The European Nature of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-49 Instead of declaratively emphasising the European roots of the Hungarian nation, the lecture attributes significance to the European nature of the Hungarian legislation and the constitutional decisions made by the first Hungarian Government responsible to the Parliament. The new legislation and the resolutions of the government represented radical reforms aimed at catching up with the highly developed European nations, the development of which was not hampered by the feudal system of the Habsburg Empire. Such a radical, new piece of legislation was the liberation of serfs, involving 79 % of the population. The equal rights, extended to everyone, regardless to ethnic and denominational differences, and the introduction of a parliamentary political system were considered as a political development that was not alien and antagonistic to a constitutional monarchy — similarly to many of the democracies of Western Europe. The anarchronistic obstinacy of the Habsburg regime, that turned against the constitutional efforts of the Hungarians, and even used the support of the Tzar, was the reason why the War of Independence finally broke out and the Declaration of Independence was accepted in the Parliament the spring of 1849. When the Declaration of Independence was accepted, the government expressed Hungary's solidarity with the constitutional nations of Europe and the government's intention of improving Hungary's relations with the neighbouring nations, including even the possibility of forming an alliance with them. ISTVÁN CZÖVEK The Hungarian War of Independence of 1848—49 and Europe Approaching the question from the aspect of international law, the author comes to the conclusion that the legal foundations for the Russian intervention had been laid down in the Treaties of Munchengratz and Berlin of 1833. These treaties were entered into by the monarchs of Russia, Prussia and Austria in order to protect the conservative systems in their countries. The treaties contained enclosures regarding mutual military assistance if needed. One of the initiators of the treaties was Prince Metternich who, after resigning from his office on 13 March 1848, and going to emigration in London, continued to actively represent the interests of the Austrian House. Neither the French, nor the British governments protested any significantly against the Russian intervention that had began at Austrian request. The existence of a powerful Central Europe empire was in the interest of the western countries. Although Hungary's struggle for freedom and independence in itself was looked upon with sympathy and understanding in the liberal circles of western Europe, for official politics it endangered the European international treaties, so the freedom fight was destined to failure.