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The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

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exodus <strong>of</strong> the <strong>of</strong>ficers and functionaries. People were afraid to go out on the<br />

street, so they would not have to see the death <strong>of</strong> the city, so they would not<br />

hear the painful rumble <strong>of</strong> the wagons, so much like hearses. <strong>The</strong> Vice-<br />

Constable, Lajos Gévay-Wolff, wandered among the empty walls <strong>of</strong> the county<br />

seat, crying. He could cry but could not say farewell.” 277<br />

Now it was the turn <strong>of</strong> another ancient, historical Hungarian city to play its<br />

part in the national tragedy series begun in <strong>1918</strong>-1919. <strong>The</strong>n, it was as a result<br />

<strong>of</strong> the treason primarily <strong>of</strong> Mihály Károlyi, Béla Linder, Vilmos Böhm and<br />

others that purely Hungarian or majority Hungarian populated towns (e.g.- Rév-<br />

Komárom, Érsekújvár, Léva, Losonc, Rimaszombat, Rozsnyó, Kassa, Ungvár,<br />

Munkács, Beregszász, Sepsiszentgyörgy, Csíkszereda, Székelyudvarhely,<br />

Marosvásárhely, Nagybánya, Kolozsvár, Szatmárnémeti, Nagyvárad, Arad,<br />

Szabadka, Zenta, Magyarkanizsa) and huge areas <strong>of</strong> Hungarian-populated<br />

Northern <strong>Hungary</strong>, Sub-Carpathia, Transylvania and the Vojvodina from where<br />

350,000 – 400,000 Hungarians were forced to flee. 278 To move to a truncated<br />

<strong>Hungary</strong> that remained after the Trianon Decree, a plundered <strong>Hungary</strong>, ahead<br />

<strong>of</strong> the conquering, robbing Czechoslovak, Romanian and South Slav forces.<br />

Many tens <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> them – without home or shelter – lived for long<br />

months, andr even years, in thousands <strong>of</strong> box cars in the railway yards <strong>of</strong><br />

Budapest or improvised barracks. It was due to this that the Hungarian<br />

government was forced to restrict several times in 1920 and <strong>1921</strong> the influx <strong>of</strong><br />

refugees from the severed parts. Because <strong>of</strong> the difficult economic situation, it<br />

was unable to assure accommodations or work opportunities. 279<br />

Naturally enough, a flood <strong>of</strong> refugees began from the territory to be handed<br />

to Austria; in fact, Hungarian authorities expected another wave ahead <strong>of</strong> the<br />

entry <strong>of</strong> the Austrian military. <strong>The</strong> executive <strong>of</strong> the Royal Hungarian Railways<br />

sent an extensive reports on June 30, <strong>1921</strong> to the Minister <strong>of</strong> Trades, stating,<br />

among other things: “<strong>The</strong>re is a danger that when the eventual occupation <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Western</strong> <strong>Hungary</strong> comes to pass, the 40 families housed in barracks in Bruck-<br />

Királyhida and Császárkőbánya will have to be moved. In fact, it can be<br />

expected that large numbers <strong>of</strong> loyal employees from the affected area will be<br />

forced to flee. In all probability, we will be forced to make available railway<br />

cars for their housing needs.” 280<br />

Many citizens <strong>of</strong> Sopron left, out <strong>of</strong> fear, ahead <strong>of</strong> the anticipated entry <strong>of</strong><br />

Austrian troops. <strong>The</strong> Rector’s Office <strong>of</strong> the Royal Hungarian Mining and<br />

Forestry Academy, fleeing a mere two years previously ahead <strong>of</strong> the Czech-<br />

Slovak army from Selmecbánya [today Banská Štiavnica] in Northern <strong>Hungary</strong>,<br />

took no notice <strong>of</strong> the warning and took no steps to relocate, saying they have<br />

already moved two years before. It is important to briefly cover some <strong>of</strong> the<br />

277 Träger, 1925, op. cit., pp. 81–82.<br />

278 Of Trianon and its aftermath, see: Mórocz, Zsolt: Vereségek rejtett hálózata [Hidden<br />

network <strong>of</strong> defeats]. In: Vasi Szemle, 2000, issue 3, pp 295–301.<br />

279 MOL. K 26. 1299. csomó. 1922–XLIII–61. szám, pp. 114-125., 160-161., 183–186.<br />

280 Ibid, p. 114.<br />

114

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