Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
THE STRUGGLE AGAINST MARGINALIZATION- BEFORE AND AFTER WORLD WAR II. - Environmental conditions - Education policy in the spirit of the cultured-nation concept
THE STRUGGLE AGAINST MARGINALIZATION - BEFORE AND AFTER WORLD WAR II. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS EDUCATION POLICY IN THE SPIRIT OF THE CULTURED- NATION CONCEPT F or Hungarian education and cultural policy, the beginning of a new chapter was marked not by the defeat suffered in World War I but rather by the period of the subsequent peace treaty. It cannot be said that the Treaty of Trianon was the veritable turning point for, as we have seen, national liberalism, which served as the foundation for great cultural achievements in the Dualist period, lost its significance. It was replaced by a new concept which packed more ideology, was more mixed with nationalist ideologies and had no fear of possible confrontations between nations and various social groups. This trend continued in the period between the two World Wars. But as real change, it was the appreciation afforded to cultural and educational policy which grew significantly. The name and person of Kunó Klebelsberg, the Minister of Culture, is tied closely to the concept of ‘cultured-nation’ and he was the one who promoted this concept to the status of national policy. According to him, Hungary - this fragmented nation which lost the war and subsequently lost huge territories and a significant population and was banned from reorganizing its military force - can only regain its self-respect and restore its geopolitical position in its home region by means of its intellectual power. Therefore, investing in culture is absolutely mandatory, for, even in the short term, it would help the country to rise to its feet again. To this end, Klebelsberg was able to garner more and more new budgetary resources for his own domain of responsibility. The Ministry of Culture’s annual budget was raised from between two and five percent to nine and ten percent. Klebelsberg headed the ministry for ten years until his death in 1932. He was succeeded by the historian Bálint Hóman, during whose time in office, the state was still supporting cultural and educational reforms in greater than average proportion, but, due to a significant decrease in the total amount in the budget, only modest goals could be achieved.
