Gertrude Enderle-Burcel, Dieter Stiefel, Alice Teichova (Hrsg.): Sonderband 9. „Zarte Bande” – Österreich und die europäischen planwirtschaftlichen Länder / „Delicate Relationships” – Austria and Europe’s Planned Economies (2006)
Ágnes Pogány: The Changing Image of the Economie Role of Austria in Hungarian Public Discourse
Agnes Pogâny In the 1960s, Hungary wanted to get credits, capital and modem technology from Austria in order to close the growing development gap and to give new stimulus to economic growth. Public discourse began to change radically at that time in Hungary. The Colony-Metaphor was rejected and a new concept that portrayed Hungary as a member of the economic community of Austria-Hungary became dominant. According to György Rânki, views on the semi-colonial status of Hungary were gradually revised in Hungary. The process started in 1959 and 1964 when conferences on the history of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were organized in Budapest. Péter Hanâk radically refused the Hungary-as-the-Colony-of-Austria metaphor in a paper prepared for an international conference in Bloomington US in 1968. In his paper, he stated that Hungary derived much more advantages than disadvantages from economic relations with the Habsburg Monarchy.21 The Metaphor “Hungary-as-the-member-of-the-economic-community-of-the-Monarchy” This metaphor is just the opposite of the previous one. It describes Hungary as part of a bigger collective. The commercial and customs union, the common central bank and the monetary system appear as an economic community in which both Austria and Hungary take part. Community has a positive value; it appears as a big nourishing family. It is favourable for every member to belong to the family in spite of conflicts that happen from time to time. Economic community brings many benefits especially for its underdeveloped members. According to the conceptual metaphor analysis of Lakoff, maturity for the person-state is industrialization. Unindustrialized nations are underdeveloped', with industrialization as a natural state to be reached.22 The developed parts of the family (parents) help the economic development of the weaker parts (children) and supply sources to help them catch up. This metaphor is not based on conflicts, it is based on mutual benefits and cooperation. Here Austria and Hungary are not contrasted with each other (Us and Them), both are parts of the same family. This metaphor also appeared in the 18th century and was popular in the 19th century as well. 21 Rânki, György: Az Osztrâk-Magyar Monarchia gazdasâgi fejlôdésének néhâny kérdéséhez. (About Some Questions of the Economie Development of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy) In: Berend, T. Ivan - Rânki, György: Gazdasâg es târsadalom. Tanulmânyok hazânk és Kelet-Eurôpa XIX-XX. szâzadi tôrténetérôl. (Economy and Society. Essays on the History of our Fatherland and Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries). Budapest, 1974. p. 80-99. here p. 89. The essay was prepared for the meeting of Austrian and Hungarian historians that was held in Graz, in October 1967. See in the volume p. 622. 22 Metaphor in Politics. An open letter to the Internet from George Lakoff (1991) In: http://rowlf.ee.wwu.edu:8080/~market/semiotic/lkof_met.html . 230
