Once Upon a Time in Hungary - The World of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Összefoglaló

At the turn of the century various social and political conflicts were all simultaneously present in Hungary. This was a calm yet vital world, full of narrow-minded self- and mass deception combined with desire to reveal the prophetic truth. There has never been a unanimous interpretation of this period_ It has been regarded as both an example of the oppression of the lower classes and nationalities and as the most successful model of Central European integration. Some view it as a form of feudal atavism, while others see it as the era of the emergence of the middle class. It is thought of with both nostalgia and hatred. On the one hand it is condemned as a period of limited national autonomy, and on the other, it is considered by many as an era in which the rage of nationalism, so ungovernable in the 20th century, was checked. Added to which, there is naturally, the post-modern challenge which suggests that this is all merely a simple narrative. A complete and infallible interpretation is well nigh impossible. Nevertheless, in an effort to provide a proper analysis, we will attempt to outline the real events. As we are now given the unique opportunity of seeing the past through the eyes of those who lived through it, we are able to present it with greater authenticity. This will be conjured up by photographs taken by known or anonymous photographers of various people, both known and unknown, of everyday life and great celebrations, of buildings long since gone and of landscapes long since transformed. The period presented covers the years from the 1880s to the early 1910s, which, in a broad sense, is the end of the 19th and the beginning, of the 20th century. While the place is a Hungary that no longer exists.