MIklos Gaspar Tamas on the Republic of Hungary's national identity

In 1944, the communist and anti-fascist Endre Ságvári was shot dead by police officers. One of them was sentenced to death after 1956. The case was recently reopened, and the Supreme Court has rescinded the sentence. Philosopher Miklós Tamás Gáspár writes about the meaning of this decision: "With this decision the Republic of Hungary breaks with the continuity of the Second Republic founded in 1946, because it was based on the assumption that all political movements in parliament and among the general public – from the communists to the conservative Catholics – have one thing in common: they are anti-fascist and anti-Hitler and reject the tradition of latifundium and Soldateska in 'historical' Hungary. Neither in 1956 nor in 1989 was this commonality ever called into question. Now, however, the democratic state, the Republic of Hungary, is de-legitimising the fight against fascism and the resistance movement – even though this is not explicitly said in the text of the judgment. This is a hard blow to the legitimation of the Republic of Hungary."

» more information (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » History, » Hungary
All available articles from » Gáspár M. Tamás

» To the complete press review of Thursday, March 9, 2006