In an attempt to discuss Polish-Hungarian relations through
the long period of eleven centuries, it has to be made clear first that the
Polish-Hungarian associations, usually excellent all this time, represent
not only memories, but also tragic or sentimental events. They represent
evidence from the past, experience for the present, and hopes for the future.
And not only for the present and future of Poland and Hungary - when talking
about Poland and Hungary one must keep in mind the present and the future of
East-Central Europe as a whole.
Freedom in East-Central Europe could be and will be possible only on the
base of friendship and cooperation of the two most important regions of
this European area - Poland and the Carpathian Basin. If Poland and Hungary
are not free, other smaller nations of East-Central Europe will still remain
victims of an alien imperialism. As Oskar Halecki stated in his Borderlands of Western Civilization [1952]:
"... a free East-Central Europe is indispensable for any sound balance of
power on the Continent... The temporary disappearance of that whole region
created a dangerous tension between suppressed nationalisms and apparently
well-established imperialisms which usually were in a dangerous rivalry with
one another."
Consequently, the introduction of Polish-Hungarian relations and mutual
friendship should be much more than simply a nice story for Polish and
Hungarian patriots. It should be a stimulating testimony for other
East-Central European intellectuals, and also an advice and useful
experience for all European peoples. If History is really "the great teacher
of Life", then the combined history of Poland and Hungary should provide
good lesson not only for Poles and Hungarians, but for other Europeans and
for the American intellectuals as well.
What are those common geopolitical and cultural characteristics which
stimulated the mutual interests of Poland and Hungary?
1. Both, Poland and Hungary are very old nations of Europe, which established
their statehoods at about the same time - more than one thousand years ago;
2. Both adopted Western (Roman) Christianity in association with the founding
of their national states;
3. Both, at a very early stage of their nationhood, recognized their common
fate - being threatened by Pan-Germanism from their western border, and
Russia-oriented Pan-Slavism from their eastern side.
Recognizing their common geopolitical situation, Poland and Hungary became
good neighbours, showing each other friendship and affection which were
simply unparallelled in European history. Their identical situation
encouraged them to build dynastical relationships in the Mediaeval times and
to continuous developing of the political, military, social, cultural and
economic relations ever since. These relations effected real blessings for
both nations - made them stronger, defended them and secured them through
the course of more than ten centuries.
Those, who tend to speculate about the possibility of friendly relations
between nations only on the base of a common race and language, may wonder
about the case of the Polish-Hungarian friendship - and the facts are there:
- the IX century revealed on the territories between the Vistula and Odra
Rivers Slavic tribes, such as: Polanie, Pomorzanie, Goplanie, Slezanie,
Opolanie, Ledzianie, Mazowszanie, Wislanie, Luzyczanie - the cradle of the
Polish nation was unquestionably a Slavic cradle;
- in about the time of the existence of these Slavic tribes in the
Vistula-Odra region, Mongol- and Turkish-looking nomadic tribes arrived in
Europe from Asia and settled down in the Carpathian Basin. The Magyars
(Hungarians) came to conquer the territories which in the past belonged to
the great empire of Attila the Hun, and to reestablish the Carpathian
empire of the proud Avar Khaganate. They spoke various dialects of the
Magyar (Hungarian) language, with large amounts of Finnish and Turkish
vocabulary. The language of these nomadic horsemen was not Slavic. Their
language was not even similar to any member of the Indo-European
languages family. Their race could be specified as Turanian, and their
language as a Finno-Ugric branch of the Ural-Altaic family of languages.
• • •
Despite such different racial, linguistic and cultural
roots, the Polish and Hungarian nations remain in friendship for more
than ten centuries
POLAND - HUNGARY
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