Re: Minority groups in Hungary (was: Rotokas (was: California Cheeseburger))

On 21 Jun 2004 John Cowan <cowan@CC...> wrote:

> > After the World War II
> > there was a dirty population exchange between Czechoslovakia and
> > Hungary.
>
> "Dirty", as in compelled?
  Yes (I do not find always the stylistically correct words). In
the Clause XII on "Transfer of German Populations" of the Potsdam
Agreement, the three allied powers had a resolution that "[t]he
Three Governments, having considered the question in all its
aspects, recognize that the transfer to Germany of German
populations, or elements thereof, remaining in Poland,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary, will have to be undertaken."

  The decrees of the Czechoslovakian prime minister Eduard Beneš
treated Hungarians just like Germans, therefore Czechoslovakia
decided to transfer also Hungarians in Czechoslovakia (there live
still about 700,000 Hungarians in Slovakia). Based on the
mutualism, Slovaks in Hungary were forced to "volunteer" to
transmigrate into Czechoslovakia. This "population exchange"
affected about 75,000 Hungarians and 50,000 Slovaks between spring
of 1947 and spring of 1948 (the actual numbers differ from author
to author).

> Hmm.  So there are 8000 people who speak Slovak but don't consider
> themselves ethnic Slovaks?
  Yes, among others some members of my family, too. It is the last
stage prior to assimilation.

  (It is also very interessant that there are so-called "Hungarian
Gypsies" in Slovakia and Romania (in the terrories that were part
of Hungary and dominately inhabited by Hungarians prior World War
I), too. They consider themselves still as Hungarian, despite of
the fact that they live in a non-Hungarian state for almost 85
years. This long-lasting "commitment" cannot be due either
disguised or undisguised Hungarian assimilative efforts. Moreover,
also Jews described themselves Hungarians with Judaist religion.
Sometimes I feel that Hungarian people has a special "charm" which
attracts the co-existing ethnic groups.)