Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1989 (1. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)

1989-06-23 / 16. szám

AMERICAN Hungarian Journal OPPOSITION ROUND TABLE FORMED In order to begin dialogue with the political group present­ly exercising power in Hungary, the opposition had to be unified - in other words, it was neces­sary to find a common denominator between different views, at least for the duration of negotiations. Since this seems to be the only way to resolve the present crisis, the following opposition groups and organizations formed a joint body called Opposition Round Table: Friends of Endre Bajcsi- Zsilinszky Society; Young Demociats’ Federation; Inde­pendent Smallholder, Land Laborer and Civic Party; Chris­tian Democratic People’s Party; Hungarian Democratic Forum; Hungarian People’s Party; So­cial Democratic Party of Hun­gary; Federation of Liberal Democrats; and, as an observer, the Democratic League of Inde­pendent Trade Unions. Last Saturday, after several months of preparation, an agreement was reached regard­ing the start of serious political negotiations. The deliberations were con­ducted by three participants: Opposition Round Table, MSzMP (Communist Party), and the so-called "third side," consisting of the following social organizations and movements: Leftist Alternative Union; Patriotic People’s Front; Hun­garian Democratic Youth Federation; Hungarian Resis­tance, Antifascists’ Federation; Hungarian National Women’s Council; Miinnich Ferenc Society; and the National Coun­cil of Hungarian Trade Unions. Dr. Péter Tölgyessi, repre­senting the O.R.T., expressed the opinion that the agreement sparks the hopes of the nation that they may find a way out from the dead-end-street where the existing political leadership had led them; that they can achieve free elections and take the first steps towards a new economic and political system. He stressed that, due to the struggle of democratic opposi­tion during the past decade, now they can work out the rules of transition as equals to the governing party and its af­filiates. He said that the op­position never wanted to make a deal bypassing the people. The aim of the present negotia­tions is not the dividing up of power, but only to assure a chance for people to decide their future in free elections. He called it an achievement that the signatory parties promised to promote the implementation of the agreements with all avail­able political means. CONCLUSION OF A HISTORICAL ERA Budapest television, in its pro­gram, A Hét, gave a brief over­view of the political career of Imre Nagy on occasion of the June 16 national funeral. Endre Aczél, moderator of the pro­gram, invited Secretary of State Imre Pozsgay and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gyula Horn to the studio and asked them to express their opinion of the event. Mr. Pozsgay agreed that the funeral is a symbolic act of hold­ing hands over a coffin, honoring Imre Nagy and those who shared his fate. It is due justice to those who fell victim to un­founded criminal proceedings and randomly shooting inten­tions. This crime has to be remedied, he said, for the na­tion cannot live with a false, mendacious judgement. There-Hungarian History Books for Students in Sub-Carpathia As a result of the changes taking place in the Soviet Union, Hungarian history will be taught, for the first time in half a century, in the schools of Sub-Carpathia. Some Hun­garian language educational in­stitutions have already ex­panded the curriculum in 1988, on an experimental basis. Beginning this fall, they want to extend it to all schools on Soviet territory where the language of instruction is Hungarian. fore, this funeral might mark the conclusion of a historical era. He pointed out that there were victims on both sides; however, the nation accepts Imre Nagy as a hero whose stance and in­flexibility, his whole life, remains exemplary. Mr. Horn discussed the ques­tion: whose place it is to do jus­tice? This task was undertaken and carried out by the current political and power structure. The administration of justice is a primary requirement; it is im­perative that all steps be taken and institutions established to prevent the repetition of a similar tragedy. The most important con­clusion is that today we have to work together to lead the country out of its present crisis.- Who will learn what in his­tory in Sub-Carpathia? we asked Ottó Szabolcs, assistant university professor, secretary of the International Committee on textbooks. On behalf of the National Pedagogical Institute, he is presently organizing a panel to support instruction over there.- Hungarian history will be taught from the original homeland to 1790 in 7th grade, and in 10th grade, practically to our day. Instruction in both grades will be one hour per week, that is, as much as in any vocational school in Hungary -This page translated by Susan Jancso, member of the American Translators Association even more, because here in three one-year periods all of universal history has to be taught as well.- When will the new textbook be ready?- In 7th grade, as early as this coming September, printed textbooks will be available, whose manuscripts were prepared by our Hungarian col­leagues in Sub-Carpathia and sent to us, not only for the pur­poses of proofreading, but also to be given a definitive form. In 10th grade, they will start using the new textbooks, prepared in a similar way, in the fall of 1990.- How are the teachers of Sub- Carpathia being prepared for the instruction of Hungarian history?- This has been the greatest problem so far, since the educators there were never taught Hungarian history. For this reason, OPI will offer a course for them this July at Beregszász, with the participa­tion of distinguished Hungarian historians. There will be ap­proximately 30 presentations. We wish to repeat this course annually. Another effort under­taken by us to help start instruc­tion there was the sending of a considerable number of textbooks, atlases and other in­structional materials. This, however, is only a drop in the ocean; we would also like to provide maps, reading materials Hungarian National Federation to Replace Patriotic People’s Front Over 250 delegates and 150 guests conferred at Székes­­fehérvár about the continuing regional development of the people’s front movement. András Horváth, people’s front secretary, related, among other things, that for a long time the movement had been the carrier of reform ideas, but recently its development had slowed down. With the formation of the na­tional managing presidency, the leadership of the People’s Front has also taken the first step towards a revival. It wants to be a political organization inde­pendent of parties, and to take a role in public life instead of a public legal function. One sign of the revival is that almost 40% of the leadership was replaced in the municipal and county elections, with the ratio of Communist Party mem­bers going down from 63% to 50%. There have been many suggestions for a new name for the movement: at the Fall Con­gress of the People’s Front they will propose the name, Hun­garian National Federation. and manuals for the schools of Sub-Carpathia. József Kővágó’s Statement The Committee for Historical Justice in Budapest released the following from a statement by former Mayor József Kővágó: "Imre Nagy and some other heroic martyrs had reached the peak achievement of their lives in those October days, when they were leading the Hun­garian people, welded into a sacred unity, towards its desires, demands, political and personal aspirations. Their mandate came from the Hungarian people, and they remained true to it till death. Documents on Mindszenty (MTI) Joseph Mindszenty before the People’s Court is the title of a collection of documents, pub­lished under the auspices of Pannon Publishing House, that will soon appear in the Budapest bookstores. The pub­lication is the reprint of a volume originally published in 1986 by the Irodalmi Újság in Paris, as part of the series "Political Processes". The col­lection includes a study by Gellért Békés, reflecting the ec­clesiastical point of view, the document of the so-called White Book, and a legal analysis by Imre Varga. Increased Interest in Religious Instruction The Ministry of Education does not prescribe set dates for enrollment in religious instruc­tion in the coming schoolyear, and - unlike in former years - enrollment will take place in local parishes and parochial of­fices, not in the schools. The number of high school students receiving religious education has considerably increased in recent times - as much as 50% in some provincial institutions - but the ratio changes from school to school, from one region to the next. CASTLES IN HUNGARY Defensive structures are one of the characteristics of the society of any given epoch, yet little attention has been devoted to them, and even today the dating of their first origins is still uncertain. One of the most neglected fields in the history of architecture is perhaps the study of defensive structures: castles, fortreses, and the walls of towns. Practical considera­tions were so overriding in the art of castle building that ques­tions of aesthetics played a very secondary role, and art experts and historians consequently preferred to concentrate more on architecture, such as churches, town halls, and the palaces and houses of nobles, with all their variety of form and decoration, and neglected the study of castles. If, however, we can appreciate the harmony and beauty characterizing the mas­sed forms of a castle, whether regarded in isolation or as part of a city complex or landscape, then we will have put our finger on the specific form of art to be found in castle architecture. Through the ground plans, the type of structure and the archi­tectural details of the usual range of buildings, we can easily differentiate between the archi­tectural styles of the successive periods. A thorough knowledge of architectural development will enable us, on the one hand, correctly to determine the date of origin of a building, and very possibly trace the modifications and changes that have occured, together with its place and significance in history, and, on the other, to draw conclusions on the technical and cultural stage of development of the society that built it. This sort of knowledge, which is peculiar to architecture, does not provide a proper guide to the under­standing of castle architecture, particularly when only a few details are available, as is the case in Hungary. The dating of the different periods of castle building by linking them with architectural styles, as was customary in the past, is a mistake. The form of classification which equated the keep with Romanesque, the castle with four towers at its four angles as Gothic, is in­correct. We come across a good many mistakes, even in scholarly works, in defining the period of a castle, and in the terms used in describing the various parts, as, for instance, the erroneous use of the word bástya (bas­tion). This Hungarian word - bástya - in connection with medieval Hungarian castles cannot be found before the six­teenth century. Scholars researching into the architectural history of Hungari­an castles have tried to deter­­mira specifically national char­acteristics and to stress distinc­tively Hungarian features, but at the present stage of research such individual peculiarities can hardly be perceived. In feudal times many young Hungarians went abroad to study, and a number of them studied the art of warfare as taught at Italian universities. Returning home, they spread throughout Hun­gary the knowledge they had acquired in the form of the most advanced techniques of fortification. The commanders of the castles also played their part in their modernization. Up to the sixteenth century they were all Hungarians, and even later, among the mercenaries employed by the Hapsburg Emperors as commanders of the castles, many outstanding Hungarians devoted themselves to maintaining and modernizing them. But while specifically national characteristics can be found in ordinary buildings constructed in the architectural styles of the different periods, the art of castle building, constantly adapting itself to innovations in warfare and new methodes of defense, displays very similar features from country to country. The various stages of castle building do not necessar­ily correspond with recognized architectural styles, but are connected with the development of the science of siegecraft and fortification. (Continued) 1989. június 23. AMERIKAI Magyar Hírlap 0

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