Ethnicity and Religion Ethnic-Lingual Patt erns As a result of the Treaty of Trianon (1920), in the majority to becoming a minority – for the Hungary lost 71.4% of its territory and 33% fi rst time in history – thus becoming a target of its ethnic Hungarian population. The coun- for anti-Hungarian vengeance in neighbouring try thus turned into one of the ethnically most states. Their sett lement areas became massively homogenous states on the continent, whilst colonised and militarised (mostly frontier) zones the Hungarians (Magyars) became one of the of neighbouring countries. most divided ethnicities (Figure 2). From 1920 During the 20th century, the proportion of onwards, Hungarians lived across initially the population with a non-Hungarian mother five, then from 1991, eight different coun- tongue decreased from 10.4% to 1.1%, for the tries: Hungary, Slovakia (from 1993), Ukraine most part as a result of migration in the years (Transcarpathia), Romania (Transylvania), 1919–23, 1938–41 and 1944 –47, following border Serbia (Vojvodina), Croatia, Slovenia (Prekmurje changes, and through the assimilation of the au- region) and Austria (Burgenland). In the period tochthonous minorities. At the same time both aft er 1920, these Hungarians went from being the number of ethnic Hungarians and their ra- Table 11. Hungarians in the regions of the Carpatho-Pannonian Area (1910–2001) (H) (SK) Area (HR) (UA) (SRB) (SLO) Trans- Croatia Year Burgen- Transyl- land (A) carpathia Carpatho- Vojvodina Vojvodina Prekmurje Pannonian Pannonian Pannonian Pannonian vania (RO) vania SLOVAKIA SLOVAKIA HUNGARY HUNGARY Number of Hungarians in thousands 1910 10,036.2 6,730.3 1,653.9 880.9 425.9 184.3 114.0 20.7 26.2 1920 9,710.5 7,156.0 1,305.8 650.6 371.0 111.1 77.0 14.1 24.9 1930 10,637.6 8,000.3 1,476.2 585.4 376.2 116.5 65.0 7.6 10.4 1941 11,946.2 8,655.8 1,735.7 761.4 473.2 233.8 67.3 16.9 2.1 1949 11,527.6 9,076.0 1,481.9 354.5 428.9 120.0 50.8 10.2 5.3 1960 12,565.5 9,786.0 1,616.2 518.8 442.6 146.2 40.8 9.9 5.0 1970 12,964.1 10,166.2 1,625.7 552.0 423.9 151.9 33.8 9.1 1.5 1980 13,403.3 10,579.9 1,691.0 559.8 370.0 166.1 23.8 8.6 4.1 1990 12,955.3 10,222.5 1,619.7 567.3 344.7 166.7 20.0 7.6 6.8 2001 12,016.2 9,546.4 1,429.5 572.9 284.2 158.7 11.3 6.6 6.6 2001 11,822.0 9,416.0 1,416.8 520.5 290.2 151.5 15.0 5.4 .. Ratio of Hungarians in % 1910 49.2 88.4 31.6 30.2 28.1 30.8 3.5 22.9 9.0 1920 46.7 89.6 25.5 22.0 24.2 18.1 2.4 15.2 8.4 1930 46.9 92.1 26.7 17.6 23.2 15.9 1.8 8.4 3.5 1941 49.0 92.9 29.5 21.5 28.5 27.3 1.7 20.1 0.7 1949 48.4 98.6 25.7 10.3 25.8 15.1 1.4 10.8 1.9 1960 47.6 98.2 25.9 12.4 23.9 15.9 1.0 11.0 1.9 1970 46.3 98.5 24.2 12.2 21.7 14.4 0.8 10.0 0.5 1980 44.8 98.8 22.5 11.2 18.2 14.4 0.6 9.3 1.5 1990 42.9 98.5 21.0 10.7 17.1 13.4 0.5 8.5 2.5 2001 40.8 93.6 19.8 10.7 14.0 12.7 0.3 8.0 2.4 2001 40.1 92.3 19.6 9.7 14.3 12.1 0.4 6.6 .. Remark: Italic fi gures represent data on mother tongue (native language), normal fi gures refer to those on ethnic affi liation. Source: Population censuses. 96 tio to locals in the detached territories decreased Present-day ethnic patt erns. At the time (Table 11). The non-Hungarian minorities had of the 2001 census, of the population of 10.2 mil- sett led in the present-day territory of Hungary lion, 5.3 to 6.2% refused to respond to questions prior to the emergence of the modern concept about their ethnic-lingual affi liation. Most of of nations and thus experienced the process of those people, who were apparently unmotivat- nation-building, for the most part, as minori- ed about their ethnic status, i.e. ‘denationalised’ ties within the Hungarian nation (e.g. Slovenes: Hungarians or ‘cautious and distrusting’ ethnic 12–13th century; Roma, Serbs, Croats: 15–17th cen- minorities, lived in Budapest and its environs, tury; Germans/Swabians, Slovaks, Romanians, and in other big cities. A total of 92.3% of the Rusyns: 17–19th century). A contributory factor population professed Hungarian ethnicity and to their assimilation was the fact that they found 93.6% declared themselves to be Hungarian na- themselves amongst a highly dispersed diaspora tive speakers (Table 13). The number of those and spoke Hungarian as their ‘main language’, who declared a Hungarian ethnic affiliation rather than their national language, in addi- had dropped from 10.6 million in 1980, down tion to their dialects. In contrast, the annexed to 9.4 million in 2001, owing to the weakening Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin became national identity and natural decrease recorded citizens of neighbouring states only in 1920 (and since 1981. Due to the change in their declared for a second time in 1945), by which time they mother tongue and the natural assimilation of possessed an already strong, centuries-old ethnic the younger members of ethnic minorities, the Hungarian consciousness. number of non-Hungarian native speakers de- According to the latest census data, of a creased considerably (among the Germans and total 13–14 million Hungarians in the world – a Croats) or stagnated (among the Roma) between number similar to the population of Kazakhstan, 1990 and 2001. The largest minority group, by a sizeable country – 90% lives in the Carpathian mother tongue (in thousands) were the Roma Basin, on the historical territory of Hungary 48.7, Germans 33.8, Slovaks 11.8 and Croats 14.3. (Table 12). There are nearly 3 million European Over the same period as a result of the above, Hungarians living outside the borders of present- along with a revival in relations with the mother day Hungary, forming one of the largest minori- country, a high natural increase and growing eth- ties in Europe, outnumbering the populations of nic consciousness among the Roma, the number 86 countries of the world (e.g. Mongolia, Latvia of people who declared non-Hungarian ethnicity or Namibia). Out of those that declared their had risen from 233 thousand to 330 thousand. ethnicity as Hungarian, 9.4 million are inhabit- As far as the lingual spatial pattern is ants of Hungary, 1.4 million of Transylvania (in concerned, the territory of the country is rather Romania), 520 thousand of Slovakia, 290 thou- uniform (Hungarian), but by ethnic affi liation sand of Vojvodina (in Serbia), 151 thousand of and origin – owing to the increasing number Transcarpathia (in Ukraine) and 15 thousand of and ratio of the Roma (up to 90% Hungarian na- the Pannonian region in Croatia. tive speakers) – the population of north-eastern Table 12. Hungarians in the World (1930, 2000) Around 1930 Around 2000 Regions In thousands Hungary 8,000.3 9,546.4 Carpatho-Pannonian Area (excluding Hungary) 2,637.3 2,469.8 Europe (excluding Carpatho-Pannonian Area) 205.0 270.0 North America 630.0 735.0 South America 50.0 55.0 Asia 2.7 230.0 Africa 3.0 10.0 Australia and Oceania 0.3 62.0 World total 11,528.6 13,378.2 Remark: Carpatho-Pannonian Area = Slovakia (SK), Transcarpathia (UA), Transylvania (RO), Vojvodina (SRB), Pannonian counties of Croatia (HR), Prekmurje (SLO) and Burgenland (A) Source: 1930: Nagy, I.1935, Rónai, A. 1938; 2000: Carpatho-Pannonian Area: mother tongue data of the censuses (2001, 2002); other territories: www.hhrf.org/htmh/?menuid=060209 97 Table 13. Ethnic structure of the population on the present-day territory of Hungary (1880–2001) 1880 1910 1941 1949 1990 2001 2001* Ethnic groups Population number (thousand) Total population 5,343.4 7,612.1 9,316.1 9,204.8 10,374.8 10,198.3 10,198.3 Hungarians 4,402.4 6,730.3 8,655.8 9,076.0 10,222.5 9,546.4 9,416.0 Germans 606.4 553.2 475.5 22.5 37.5 33.8 62.2 Slovaks 199.8 165.3 75.9 26.0 12.7 11.8 17.7 Croats 59.3 62.0 37.9 20.4 17.6 14.3 15.6 Romanians 25.0 28.5 14.1 14.7 8.7 8.5 8.0 Serbs 18.8 26.2 5.4 5.2 3.0 3.4 3.8 Slovenes 4.6 6.9 4.8 4.5 2.6 3.2 3.0 Roma (Gypsies) .. 9.8 18.6 21.4 48.1 48.7 190.0 Other ethnic groups 27.1 29.9 28.1 14.1 22.1 28.4 29.7 Unknown .