Hungary's Trianon Treaty Narrative: A 'Cultural Weapon' We've Forgotten

The Trianon Research Institute contends that Hungary's national perception of the Trianon Treaty, which redrew the country's borders after World War I, remains distorted. The institute, founded in 2007 by Gyula Fábián and Ernő Raffay, has published over 6,000 pages across 44 volumes of the Trianon Review, exploring the treaty's implications. Its final publication, the fourth Klebelsberg special issue, marks the end of the journal's operation due to concerns about future support for independent projects in the current political climate.

“

The EU, however, follows the path of Trianon: instead of peace, moderation, and wisdom, manipulation and the erosion of national sovereignties guide the Brussels bureaucracy.

The institute criticizes the post-1989 era, stating that while national governments since 2010 have worked to stabilize the country, insufficient attention was paid to implementing a 21st-century educational program. While acknowledging the importance of memorial days, the institute emphasizes that Trianon signifies not only a loss of national unity but also a temporary erosion of sovereignty. It draws a stark contrast between the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, which involved five years of negotiations with the participation of all parties, and the rushed, four-month process for Trianon, where the Hungarian side was allegedly not even considered a participant.

“

In Trianon, the defeated Hungarian side was not even considered a human being, while neighboring successor states could bombard the main negotiators with unscrupulous lies without anyone to refute them.

The institute draws parallels between Trianon and the Peace of Westphalia, highlighting Westphalia's inclusion of a "clause of forgetting" that prevented the retroactive use of past grievances. This, they argue, was absent in the Versailles treaty system. The institute expresses skepticism about a shift in Western historiography regarding Trianon. They believe that achieving historical justice requires a strong Hungary and powerful allies willing to renegotiate the "peace treaty," a prospect they deem unlikely in the near future. However, they stress the importance of keeping the awareness of historical truth alive, asserting that relinquishing rights leads to total loss.

“

We must not give up our rights, because if we give them up, we lose everything.