Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1976 (4. évfolyam, 9-12. szám)
1976 / 11. szám
DISSERTATIONS* Benkart, Paula K. (John Hopkins U., 1975) “Religion, Family, and Community Among Hungarians Migrating to American Cities, 1880-1930.” After 1899, substantial numbers of Magyars migrated from Hungary to the U.S. Following the example of the pioneer Magyars and the minority neighbors who had preceded them, they intended to spend a few years’ sojourn in the U.S. earning enough money to achieve, upon their return to Hungary, social aspirations which had been mounting steadily in parts of that country for twenty years. The migrants’ geographical mobility thus represented just one dimension of their larger desire for social mobility. The Hungarian Government viewed the departure of its citizens with alarm but despaired of using political means to halt the socio-economic momentum which the migration embodied. Instead, from 1903 until World War I, successive Hungarian prime ministers supported an extensive program of American Action which used financial inducements to gain control of Magyar churches, schools, and newspapers in the U.S. The chief purpose of the plan was to keep alive the Magyar sojourners’ intention to return to the homeland with their American earnings. In addition, Hungarian authorities designed the Action program to prevent American Magyar nationalists from championing the cause of Hungarian independence and threatening the political structure of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The American Action was influential in persuading up to one-third of the migrants to return to Hungary. At the same time, it provided MagyarsojournersintheU.S. with the social and intellectual resources to sustain a complex set of ethnic associations and a fairly sophisticated notion of community. However, the program apparently had little impact on the migrants’ American-born children, and was less effective in encouraging families to resettle in the homeland. Surprisingly, the Hungarian Government’s Action aroused almost no suspicion or resentment among Americans before the outbreak of World War I. The war and its consequences produced a turning point in Magyar migration. The American Action ceased; parts of Hungary that had experienced considerableemigration were apportioned to other nations; and the U.S. moved to restrict the entry of foreigners. Magyars in America had to choose between their original intention to return home and the alternative of settling in the U.S. as permanent immigrants. Those who chose to stay formed immigrant communities which incorporated the values of America’s aspirant middle class during the Progressive Era. For the most part, these BOOKS (Continued) Gypsies before 1918, but since he used mainly modern Slovak and no Hungarian sources some of the referencesare difficult to understand, e.g. he refers to Palatine Ja'n Zapolsky rather than John Zapolya as is customary in English language publications. He also speaks of “manipulation of Roms in class struggles” in the 16th century. The principal value of the book lies in the social science approach to the problem, and hence, the book will be of interest to social scientists and the specialized reader. values were the outgrowth of the ambitions and aspirations that had originally motivated the Magyars to become sojourners. Therefore, immigrant Magyar socialists shared a number of beliefs with their compatriots who espoused twentieth century political capitalism, and with the majority of Magyar Americans who stood between those two extremes. The history of the immigrants’ sickness and death benefit federations illustrates most clearly the strength of the American Magyar community’s commitment to the ideals of technical solidarity and the new organizational society. Jeffery, Inez Cope, (U. of Texas, Austin, 1974) “A Comparative Study of Issues Affecting the Development of Early Childhood Education and Care in the United States and Hungary from 1945 to 1973.” 188 pages. Xerox and microfilm no. 76-7981.* It is an open question whether or not anything is comparable in societies which differ as widely in their philosophy, government, and goals as the United States and Hungary. According to the author, significant differences in approach to the solution of problems can be effectively studied and recorded as a basis for further exploration. This study raises the question whether research concerning the child’s reaction to being away from the motherduring herworking hours can have any persuasive effect on the choice by mothers in industrial and evolving nations to work or stay at home with their children until they are six or seven years old. There is great diversity in early childhood development programs in the U.S., and great differences of thinking among specialists in the field of early childhood development as to what kind of group activity should be planned and how many children should be in a group with one adult. Extensive work is being done in research and development. In Hungary, there is a uniform, national plan for educating and caring for young children, with specific goals. Staff training is well planned but research is limited. From the beginning, children are taught loyalty and love for country and to perform in accordance with what is best for the group - not for individual achievement. Major, Mark Imre. (Texas Christian U., 1972) “American Hungarian Relations: 1918-1944.” 373 pages. Microfilm and xerox order no. 72-27,953.* The purpose of this study is to point out how the United States was involved in Hungarian affairs between the world wars. The key to the understanding of Hungarian history during this period is Hungary’s attitude towards the Treaty of Trianon. The chief aspiration of Hungarian foreign policy was the desire for a peaceful revision of this treaty. The Hungarian nation, with a deep sense of its thousand-year-old past and its historic mission in the Carpathian Basin, had not acquiesced in the judgment of Trianon. In response to the lasting sense of injustice which the peace settlement had left in Hungary, the nation considered it to be one of its primary tasks to recover the territories which had been lost in the (Continued on page 6) (*) Abstracts are based on ones published in Dissertation Abstracts International. Microfilm and xerox copies of the original full dissertation may be obtained from Xerox University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106. When ordering, use the number shown above. NO 11. 1976. HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER 5
