Every country across the globe hopes to eventually create a national identity that sets them apart from other countries. Even in a massive continent like Europe, all 50 of its countries are made up of characteristics that make each of them unique. The word “nation” comes from common culture, religion, land, language, customs, and symbols discovered among a group of people that appeal to each other’s personality, physical appearance, and other qualities that people can relate to on the surface. Although a large, bordered area with a body of common people is referred to as a “country” and a “nation,” there is a significant difference between the two terms. A country refers to a state in which all citizens fall under the same government and rules. However, a nation is simply defined as a large community that is united through cultural identity. The word “nation” is not related to government status or law, for it only refers to the people, not the authorities. When a common group of people form a society that is comfortable for them, they will form a national identity to make them feel united as one. Setting a clear national identity takes time and is formed through the will of the people, for some nations’ identities are more identifiable than others.
Forming a national identity can cause conflict between other nations, however. Although a group of people sharing common culture and values can be beautiful in itself, it tends to isolate those who proclaim a different identity. When a nearby nation or group is viewed as a threat, they are known as the “significant other.” Controversy is often started when nations with different culture butt heads, but in the end, each nation comes out with a stronger sense of how they want to represent themsevles. Humans usually associate conflict and war as a negative thing, but when it comes to establishing a national identity, these negative aspects may add to the transformation of a nation. In order for a nation to exist, there has to be another nation against it, and this has been exemplified numerous times through history.
In this blog post, I will be looking closely at the national identity of Hungary through history, examining the common values among the people and determining how the nation responded to its “significant other.”
When looking back at Hungarian history, one aspect to note is the fact that it was a communist country for nearly 70 years. Hungary faced a huge turning point when forces against the government forced them to discontinue communism. Most Hungarians were seekers of opportunity and wanted to generate free thoughts that are not decided by the government. Also, the economy was dealing with inflation, which drastically affected those with fixed incomes and caused the whole country to fall into debt. At the time, Janos Kadar was Hungary’s leader, and he claimed that the higher prices in their economy were due to a downpayment for the NEM. The NEM was launched in 1968, where new “market-style reforms” (Wikipedia, pg. 1) were introduced in hopes to justify the income gap between wealthy, state-owned corporations and all smaller businesses. However, Kadar’s attempt to gain approval and continue communism failed. “The NEM roused more widespread opposition,” along with politicians who had previously supported communism but changed their mind when faced with an economic crisis. Eventually, Kadar was forced to give up and communism was put to rest.
The people of Hungary were beginning to feel united due to a major change in their governmental system. A sense of national pride and brotherhood was among the majority of Hungarians, however, problems arose before a matter of time. By human nature, people find other people appealing due to their visual features and the way they express themselves verbally, emotionally, and spiritually. As these psychological tendencies are at play among numerous people, they begin to form a community in which they are bonded as one, while everyone else are viewed as “the others.” This is exactly what happened to Hungary after the revolution in 1989; the majority of their people formed an “in-group,” leading to the exclusion of those who did not posses similar qualities, forming several “out-groups.” Since the in-group is the majority of Hungarians, the out-groups are defined as minorities. Thus, the fall of communism in Hungary eventually lead to a united country on the surface, but when examined on a deeper level, one will begin to recognize the clear imbalance between social groups. Just like most other countries, Hungary’s national identity is not an accurate depiction of all their people. A national identity may allow the majority of people to feel united and safe, however, there are others who stand in silence unheard.
As most neighboring European countries are aware of, Hungary is currently dealing with a huge refugee crisis. In previous years, Hungary has accepted numerous applications from migrants hoping to escape war. However, Hungary has recently been implementing strict laws around refugees, mostly due to the consensus of the people. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 82% of Hungarians agree with the statement, “Refugees are a burden because they take our jobs and social benefits” (pewresearch.org). Hungarians’ intolerance to immigrants do not represent the rest of Europe, because meanwhile, only 50% of the EU Median (excluding Hungary) agrees with the statement. 76% of Hungarians also believe that refugees are likely to perform acts of terrorism in their country, while the rest of the EU Median lingers at 59%. 69% of Hungarians will confidently say that immigrants coming from Serbia or Iraq area threat in general, and that they do not belong in Hungarian society. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is well-known for his intolerance of refugees in Hungary, referring to them as “poison” and “supporting campaign ads linking refugees to terrorism” (pewresearch.org). Also, when speaking to a Hungarian reporter while attending a Republican anti-terrorism march, Orbán exclaimed: “Economic immigration is a bad thing in Europe. It shouldn’t be seen as something that is of any use at all, because it just brings difficulty and danger to the European person. This is why immigration must be stopped. This is the Hungarian viewpoint” (theorangefiles.hu).
Although refugees are statistically proven to do little to no harm to their country, Hungarians push aside others who come to their country to look for jobs and live a better life. This common belief among Hungarians contradicts their root values, since nearly the whole country strongly supports Democratic values. The intolerance of refugees is a result of the formation of an in-group; they have isolated an outside target who are viewed as a threat, therefore Hungarians refuse to provide a helping hand. Just like many other countries, one goal for Hungarians is to create a national identity that others look up to, however, due to their recent beliefs and strategies towards minorities, they are hurting their reputation.
References
1.) Örkény, A. (2005). Hungarian National Identity: Old and New Challenges. International Journal of Sociology, 35(4), 28-48. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20628748
2.) Manevich, D. (2016, September 30). Hungarians share Europe's embrace of democratic principles but are less tolerant of refugees, minorities. Retrieved January 30, 2018, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/30/hungarians-share-europes-embrace-of-democratic-principles-but-are-less-tolerant-of-refugees-minorities/
3.) Notable Quotes: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. (2017, February 25). Retrieved January 30, 2018, from https://theorangefiles.hu/notable-quotes-prime-minister-viktor-orban-by-subject/
4.) Vardy, N. A., Barany, G., Macartney, C. A., Berend, I. T., & Várdy, S. B. (2018, January 24). Hungary. Retrieved February 08, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary#ref931239
5.) End of communism in Hungary (1989). (2018, February 01). Retrieved February 08, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_communism_in_Hungary_(1989)
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