1848 Hungarian Revolution

Two days ago marked the anniversary for Hungary's 1848 Revolution, one of three uniquely national holidays celebrated here. In 1848, led by heroes such as Kossuth Lajos and poet Petőfi Sándor, as well as Széchenyi István -- discussed in the last post -- Hungary fought the Habsburgs in Vienna for national independence, and they won it, for over a year, until the Austrians returned with Russian allies and took control once more.

This was not only an independence movement. This was a democratic movement, an intellectual call to modernity. Among Hungarian demands were freedom of the press (accounting for holiday rally against the current media law), freedom of religion, parliamentary representation, and justice by jury. These are demands of self-governance familiar to Americans, which may be why Kossuth, during exile that led him to the United States, was so welcome -- by abolitionists, anyway  (although President Fillmore was forced to apologize to Austria for Kossuth's remarks during a dinner held in his honor by the United States Congress).

1848 marked a time of upheaval throughout Europe. In addition to the Hungarians, the Habsburgs faced nationalist revolts from Croats, Czechs, Germans, Italians, Poles, Romanians, Serbs, Slavs, and Ukrainians. France overthrew a constitutional monarchy and created the French Second Republic. Germany followed France's lead, demanding political freedom and constitutional reform, while Marx's Communist Manifesto was published in German on February 21, 1848. In the north, Denmark shed its absolute monarchy for constitutional monarchy. All over Europe, people fought for suffrage and independence, for nationalized militias and monies, for freedoms of assembly and speech. While most revolutions were turned back in the end -- France for example, turned from Second Republic to the Second French Empire in only four years -- liberal democratic ideals became foundational ever since.

Are revolutions infectious? In 1989, people shredded the Iron Curtain in most of Europe in a wave of rebellion against Sovietized control. And now, 2011 is a year for the history books. Tunisia. Egypt. Bahrain. Libya. Jordan. Oman. Yemen. Strongman dictatorships may yet give way to the people. While Qadhafi's military arm is longer than that of the rebels, and while the global heavyweight Saudi Arabia is stepping in to tamp down protest in tiny Bahrain, perhaps the battles will be lost but the wars won, as in 1848. An op-ed piece in The New York Times suggest that Qadhafi, armed with only "diehard allies and foreign mercenaries," will lose in the end, because beliefs are more powerful than bullets.

March 15th is the day chosen to memorialize Hungary's 1848 revolution because this is the day mass demonstrations forced an imperial governor to give way, and this is the day that inaugurated massive reform of government and a Hungarian prime minister. On this day, Petőfi Sándor read aloud the poem read every year since. Wikipedia provides this unsourced description: "Petőfi read the poem aloud on March 15 in Vörösmarty Square in Budapest to a gathering crowd, which by the end was chanting the refrain as they began to march around the city, seizing the presses, liberating political prisoners, and declaring the end of Austrian rule." And it continues to breathe a Hungarian fire of pride and defiance.

RISE UP MAGYAR, translated by Adam Makkai
Rise up, Magyar, the country calls!
It's now or never what fate befalls...
Shall we live as slaves or free men?
That's the question - choose your "Amen"!
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

For up till now we lived like slaves,
Damned lie our forefathers in their graves -
They who lived and died in freedom
Cannot rest in dusts of thraldom.
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

A coward and a lowly bastard
Is he, who dares not raise the standard -
He, whose wretched life is dearer
Than the country's sacred honor.
God of Hungarians
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

Sabers outshine chains and fetters,
It's the sword that one's arm betters.
Yet we wear grim chains and shackles.
Swords, slash through the damned manacles!
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

Magyars' name will tell the story
Worthy of our erstwhile glory:
We must scrub off - fiercely cleansing
Centuries of shame condensing.
God of Hungarians
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee that slaves we shall
no longer be!

Where our grave-mounds bulge in grey earth
Grandsons kneel and say their prayers,
While in blessing words they mention
All our sainted names' ascension.
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

Below are pictures from the 1848 celebrations. The photographs start with Vank Ricsi reciting at the school assembly and end with the same ninth grader reciting before town dignitaries at the 1848 memorial stone.