Protests and Parades: National Day Commemorations in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1918-1989
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Protests and Parades: National day commemorations in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1918-1989 Andrea Talabér Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Florence, 03 June 2016 2 European University Institute Department of History and Civilization Protests and Parades: National day commemorations in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1918-1989 Andrea Talabér Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Examining Board Professor Pavel Kolář, European University Institute (EUI Supervisor) Professor Lucy Riall, European University Institute Professor Peter Haslinger, Herder Institute Professor Nancy M. Wingfield, Northern Illinois University © Andrea Talabér, 2016 No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Researcher declaration to accompany the submission of written work Department of History and Civilization - Doctoral Programme I, Andrea Talabér, certify that I am the author of the work ‘Protests and Parades: National day commemorations in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1918-1989’ I have presented for examination for the Ph.D. at the European University Institute. I also certify that this is solely my own original work, other than where I have clearly indicated, in this declaration and in the thesis, that it is the work of others. I warrant that I have obtained all the permissions required for using any material from other copyrighted publications. I certify that this work complies with the Code of Ethics in Academic Research issued by the European University Institute (IUE 332/2/10 (CA 297). The copyright of this work rests with its author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This work may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. This authorisation does not, to the best of my knowledge, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that this work consists of 132,771 words. Statement of inclusion of previous work: I confirm that chapters Four and Five draw upon an earlier article I published: ‘Medieval Saints and Martyrs as Communist Villains and Heroes: National Days in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during Communism’ in History of Communism in Europe, Vol. 5, 2014, pp. 168-192. Signature and date: 24 May 2016 5 6 Abstract This thesis examines national days in Hungary and Czechoslovakia from their establishment as independent nation-states in 1918 to the collapse of Communism in 1989. The focus is on the capital cities of Budapest and Prague, as the locations of the official commemorations. In these eighty years both countries underwent major political, social and cultural changes that were reflected in national day commemorations. In the interwar period these countries were free to establish their own commemorative calendars and construct their own national historical narratives. Whilst in Hungary this was a rather straightforward process, in Czechoslovakia establishing the calendar was fought along a number of different battle lines. During the Second World War Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany and dismantled with Slovakia becoming a Nazi ‘puppet state’, whilst Hungary became Hitler’s satellite. National day calendars, rather than simply being completely cancelled, continued in some form from the previous period, as this allowed the Nazis to maintain a semblance of normality. The most significant overhaul of the national day calendar came with the Communist take- overs. The Communist parties imposed a new socialist culture that included a new set of Soviet- themed national days. However, they could not completely break away from the national days of the independent interwar states. Eventually, especially from the late 1960s, the Communists in both countries found that it was expedient to restore some of the interwar national days, some of which still continue today, thus questioning how radical a break 1989 was. Studying national days over the longue durée enables historians to uncover how the dynamics of political power operated in Central and Eastern Europe over the 20th century. This thesis concludes that national days are an example of both the invention of tradition as well as the resilience of tradition, demonstrating how political regimes are always bound by the broader cultural context. 7 8 Table of Contents Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 11 Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter One: Stephen, Wenceslas, Hus: Medieval figures in the building of the modern nation-state ............................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Two: Political commemorations: the 1848 revolution in Hungary, the foundation of Czechoslovakia and the Battle of Zborov ................................................................................ 93 Chapter Three: National days under Nazi eyes ...................................................................... 135 Chapter Four: Communist Commemorations: 1945-1956 .................................................... 191 Chapter Five: Goulash Communism and Normalisation: National Days in Hungary and Czechoslovakia from 1956-1989 ........................................................................................... 253 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 319 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 331 9 10 Table of Figures Figure 1: The start of the St Stephen commemorative year in front of Parliament, 30 May 1938. Source: Fortepan/ Szinnay Gábor ......................................................................... 87 Figure 2: Holy Right procession in Buda Castle on 20 August 1938. Source: Fortepan/ Fortepan ........................................................................................................................... 89 Figure 3: Ferenciek tere [Square of the Franciscans] in Budapest on 1 May 1919, decorated on both sides with globes. Source: Fortepan/ Schoch Frigyes. ....................................... 95 Figure 4: 28 October (no year) celebration on Wenceslas square from the interwar period. Source: NACR, Národní rada česká, Box 70. ............................................................... 110 Figure 5: Commemorations in Zborov, in Poland. Source: NACR, Národní rada česká, Box 777. ................................................................................................................................ 128 Figure 6: 15 March commemoration in 1947 on Kossuth square, in front of Parliament. The large portrait in the centre is of Sándor Petőfi. Source: Fortepan/ Berkő Pál ............... 206 Figure 7: Liberation Day in Budapest in 1952. Source: Fortepan/ Magyar Rendőr. ............. 234 Figure 8: Marchers carrying an effigy of Truman as a Nazi ‘after the economic talks in Moscow’ during 1 May parade in 1952. Source: Fortepan/ Imre. ................................ 244 Figure 9: 1 May marchers passing the Stalin statue in Budapest in 1955. Source: Fortepan/ Fortepan. ........................................................................................................................ 244 Figure 10: 1 May celebrations in Prague in 1948 or 1949. Source: NACR, Národní fronta ústřední výbor, č.f. 357-2/Box 3. .................................................................................. 247 11 Figure 11: Plans for the 1 May 1950 tribune in Břeclav, south Moravia with popular 1 May slogans: ‘For Peace’, ‘For socialism’ and ‘For the homeland’. Source: NACR, Národní fronta ústřední výbor, č.f. 357-2/Box 4. ........................................................................ 248 Figure 12: Memorial to the Hungarian Soviet Republic on Parade Square in 1970. Source: Fortepan/ Fortepan. ....................................................................................................... 271 Figure 13: Opposition demonstration on 15 March 1988 with banners demanding the freedom of the press and freedom of assembly. Source: Fortepan/ Hodosán Róza. ................... 282 Figure 14: Wreaths placed at the foot of the Petőfi statue by the ‘Hungarian Democratic Opposition’ on 15 March 1988. Source: Fortepan/ Hodosán Róza. ............................. 283 12 Acknowledgement Completing this thesis would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many people. My supervisor Professor Pavel Kolář not only provided me with his tremendous support, insights and guidance, but he also willingly read countless drafts of this thesis. My second reader, Professor Lucy Riall, offered a perceptive eye, encouragement and enthusiasm. Special thanks are due to my two external examiners, Professor Peter Haslinger and Professor Nancy M. Wingfield for their thorough reading of this thesis, their encouraging and insightful comments and for pointing me towards possible future directions for this research. During the research for this