Századok – 2011

TANULMÁNYOK - Britz Pál: A bukás után. Barcza György hazai életének kezdete - és annak előtörténete VI/1325

BARCZA GYÖRGY HAZAI ÉLETÉNEK KEZDETE 1357 AFTER THE FALL The Beginnings of the „Hungarian Life" of György Barcza - and its Prehistory by Pál Pritz (Summary) The eminent Hungarian diplomat, György Barcza, served in 1941 as the ambassador of his home country at London. His career came to an abrupt end when Great Britain cut diplomatic relations with Hungary in April 1941. In his famous memoirs, Barcza narrated his diplomatic career as well. His description of the period is very impressive indeed, while sharply critical about contemporary Hungarian foreign policy. The loud echos his Memoirs made were certainly mainly due to this latter aspect of his work; criticism came from within, from the highest ranks of the political elite. Since it sounded authentic, it came to the point for all those whose intention it was anyway to present the Hungary symbolised by the name of Miklós Horthy in terms as unfavourable as possible. Yet the sharp criticism was the work of Barcza as a memoirist rather than as a diplomat. Pál Pritz had already analysed in a small monography the part of the memoirs which go until 1941. The present study can be regarded as its continuation. It focusses on the relationship between László Bárdossy and György Barcza, and on their diverging political conceptions. The author reconstructs with philological exactness how the text of Barcza has hirtherto led astray the scholarly historiography of the subject.