The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1985 (12. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)

1985-08-01 / 8. szám

HUNGARIAN COMMUNITY LIFE IN REVIEW

by Steven Bela Vardy THE HUNGARIAN-AMERICANS Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985, 215 pp.

$17.95

In the past ten years an increasing number of studies of the Hungarian community have been published. This is certainly a fruitful development since it responds to a growing public and academic interest in the history and present life of Hungarians in America. Some publications have improved our understanding of Hungarians, while others, though reflecting good intentions, have not. It is therefore frequently difficult for the general reader to distinguish between reliable accounts and those that promote faulty information and interpretations.

It is the purpose of book reviews to assist the reader in making such choices. They should not merely recount the contents, but attempt to evaluate the reliability of the information presented, the specific contributions made by the author and caution us on controversial matters discussed.

The work of Professor Steven Bela Vardy is the most recent study on the history of Hungarians in America. As most readers are aware, Professor Vardy is a Professor of History at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as well as Adjunct Professor of East European History at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of numerous studies and articles on Hungarian and East European history and on the history of Hungarian- Americans. Therefore, this work is certainly one that will attract the special attention of all those interested in the history of Hungarians in America.

Professor Vardy’s book presents, as he informs us in the preface, “an account of the history and everyday life of those Americans whose roots reach back to their millenial homeland: Hungary”. The author is quite successful in performing this task. In fact, the most important strength of the book is its comprehensiveness. It presents a balanced, carefully developed historical review of Hungarian immigrants and their descendants from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. In separate chapters, the author summarizes relevant facts and his interpretaions on Hungary and Hungarians; the arrival of early Hungarian explorers and nineteenth century political immigrants; the great waves of migration beginning in the Page 6

1800’s; Hungarian-American social institutions and organizations; church congregations; publishing activities; adjustment patterns; and the story of political immigration since World War II. Clearly a comprehensive list of the important events in the life of the Hungarian community.

In order to illustrate some of the highlights of the work, those with special significance will be briefly discussed. The chapter on nineteenth century political immigrants should be of great interest to all readers. It concerns an important phase of Hungarian-American history and it is discussed very clearly, based on substantial research studies. The author reviews the main Hungarian participants in the American Revolution, but he also points out, correctly, that Hungarians of the early nineteenth century, as they sought to establish democratic institutions, showed a very keen interest in the United States. The travel accounts of Boloni-Farkas and of Ágoston Haraszthay are cited as good examples. The discussion of Kossuth’s tour in America and the role of Hungarian officers in the Civil War is in full agreement with recent historical research.

Professor Vardy’s treatment of Hungarian-American society and social institutions is one of the best sections of the work. He correctly points out the original reasons that motivated Hungarians to come to America after 1880 and gives a realistic picture of the great difficulties encountered by them in the New World. He then discusses the social institutions that evolved in response to specific needs: boarding houses, sick benefit societies, cultural societies, church congregations and others. In reference to Porfessor Vardy’s remarks on sick benefit societies, especially the William Penn Association, it is relevant to note that a recent research study by Professor Bela Vassady on “The Early Decades of the Hazleton Based on Hungarian Verhovay Sick Benefit Association,” fully supports Dr. Vardy’s interpretation. The chapter on religious organizations is especially recommended for careful reading since it fully documents the very significant contributions of congregations to Hungarian community life and offers conclusions that are

relevant to the present status of church organizations.

In his last three chapters, Professor Vardy presents an assessment of Hungarian political immigrants who arrived in the United States since World War II. The author makes a generally successful effort to delineate the several waves of immigrants and to describe their organizational, political and social life in America since 1950. He gives special attention to two organizations sponsored by the first postwar immigrants: the Hungarian Scouts in Exile and the Hungarian Society of Cleveland. Both organizations represent a traditional, outdated form of Hungarian nationalism, that lost its social base about forty years ago. while both organizations still exist, it is doubtful whether they in fact played or will continue to play a very significant role in the life of the Hungarian community. Organizations mentioned by the author as representative of the prewar immigrants include Hungarian Homes, United Societies and most importantly the William Penn Association of Pittsburgh, which is now seeking a return to its Hungarian roots. Newer trends have created such groups as the American Hungarian Educators Association and the Itt-Ott Hungarian Communion of Friends, representing professional Hungarians seeking a balanced view of the world that includes an affirmation of Hungarian traditions, the view of Hungarian community life presented by the author is certainly valid: it is characterized by political differences, ideological conflicts and organizational separatism. Those who wish to strengthen an awareness of the Hungarian heritage must be fully aware of these difficulties. By presenting them to us, the author has made a significant contribution not only to Hungarian- American history but also to a better understanding of present day concerns.

In summary then, Professor Vardy has written an excellent, informative history of Hungarians in America. There are several points of view that will certainly arouse controversy and there are numerous areas of research that need to be undertaken for a complete understanding of Hungarian history in America. But this book does present a critical, Eighth Hungarian Tribe